


Trying to Hate You (Lying to Date You)

by orphan_account



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Love Triangles, M/M, Past Abuse, Secret Relationship, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2019-09-02 15:27:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 30,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16789654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Kaito and Kokichi try to keep their relationship a secret.Things get a little more hectic than anticipated.





	1. Rantaro's Cuck Mansion

Kaito watches as Rantaro lets in the last of his guests. Maki and Shuichi chatter a bit next to him - their conversation polite, if not a little forced - and usually, he would have the brain cells to join it and liven it up; get the two of them to break out of their comfort zones. But it's a Saturday night; he's already had a cup of whatever mixed drink Ryoma made, and Kokichi Ouma is not-so-subtly winking at him as he walks through the door.

He coughs and looks away- Maki shoots him a concerned look, and Shuichi follows after, his sentence slowly drifting off. 

“I’m fine,” He says, because he is, and he’s totally not using his remaining braincell to think unholy thoughts about his boyfriend that he has been deciding to keep a secret from everyone. “Just something in my throat, is all.” He shifts his body from where he’s sitting to face away from the door. 

Kokichi is sitting on the second to last step of some elaborate staircase that probably costs more than his entire existence and staring into his cup of soda, wishing he didn't have to be here. What was even the point of parties? The music’s way too loud and it's not like he likes many of his classmates, anyway.   
  
The only reason he even came to this stupid party was because his best friend (well, only friend, really) and roomate, Rantaro, begged him to. Technically he didn't have to go, but Rantaro did just buy him a shit ton of rare Yu-Gi-Oh cards, (GOD, why did he ALWAYS fall for the Yu-Gi-Oh card bribe?). Plus, he was the only person who could really stand to be around him for more than 10 minutes at a time.    
  
Ok, that was a lie, and Kokichi realizes it’s a lie the exact moment he stops wishing he were anywhere else: the moment when his secret boyfriend, Kaito Momota, walks through the door.   
  
Kokichi smirks to himself before making eye contact with Kaito and winking.   
  
Did he just choke on his drink? God, Kaito was so easy to embarrass. Not like Kokichi minds though, he finds it pretty endearing. When Maki and Shuichi start talking to Kaito Kokichi turns and walks up the stairs, making sure not to draw any more attention to the situation. He glances at his boyfriend’s pants and smirks again. Yup, he'd follow him.

Damn it. Kaito gulps as he watches Kokichi tread up the ornate circular staircase. His body is telling him to get his ass up those stairs and properly greet his boyfriend, but his mind reminds him that he’s in public, and in front of his friends, no less. If they weren't secretly dating, then they could just talk to each other normally in front of others - but no, their relationship has to be needlessly complicated.

Whatever, not like he can complain. That was their deal, after all - they can date as long as no one else knows, which means that in public, they still hate each other just as much as they did when they first met in high school.

Kaito sighs. “I’m, uh,” he starts, avoiding eye contact with Maki, who looks at him suspiciously. “Going to go find the bathroom. I’ll be right back.” He gets up, brushes his clothes off, and walks briskly past Rantaro to follow Kokichi up the stairs.

Kokichi was waiting upstairs for what felt like an eternity (but was really only 3 minutes) before Kaito finally showed up. He walks towards him and gives him his best little rat bitch smile, the one that Kaito finds super sexy. "You were pretty impatient, huh?" He tries to say this casually, attempting to hide the fact that he wants this just as badly.

Kaito rolls his eyes. Maybe he did come up here to see him in secret, but he was also a little annoyed with him as well.   
  
"You need to stop being so obvious," he says, but it lacks the bite that he wanted it to have. He clears his throat and tries again. "They're going to notice."

Kokichi sighs."Oh, so I'm the obvious one? That's funny coming from the guy who started to get hard after I winked at him." He walks closer to him and, with a bit of effort, puts his arms around Kaito's shoulders.   
  
"What are you so worried about, anyway? No one cares enough about me to notice what I'm doing." He this says casually enough that he hopes Kaito won't notice how pathetic the statement is, how pathetic he is.    
  
He ignores that thought and pulls Kaito down so they're face to face. ”Besides, it’s not like anyone takes anything I do seriously because," he gets close enough to kiss him - he doesn't. "I'm a liar."

Kaito hisses a bit at the uncomfortable position that Kokichi forces him into, but tries not to make it obvious how awkward he feels. But being this close to his boyfriend when everyone else is so close (despite being on a completely different floor as them) is kind of  _ exciting _ .

He wants to squash that thought. Kokichi’s already made a snide comment about his apparent  _ boner  _ \- which he totally didn’t have- and he doesn’t want him to say anything else. But with him so close, and talking in that deep, serious tone...there was no way that he could control himself now.

“Don’t berate yourself.” he says as he leans in enough for his nose to brush against his cheek.

"Don't.." Kokichi tries to protest and thinks about pulling away but stops himself- there's no point in trying, Kaito always seems to see right through him. He hates showing weakness but with Kaito it's different; he feels safe.    
  
"You're so," He hides his face in Kaito's neck, muffling his voice as he huffs, "annoying sometimes, did you know that Kaito?" He lowers his arms to Kaito's waist and hugs him tightly. "Just-just shut up, okay? Let's make out or something, that's what you came up here for, isn't it?”

Kaito wraps his arms around Kokichi's tiny body, shivering lightly at the warm breath against his neck. He smiles. "Hey, who said anything about making out? Maybe I just came up here to see you." It was only partially a lie; Kokichi would be able to sniff it out, like always, but he can't help but try to butter him up. He rubs his hand against Kokichi's back. "Besides, you're the one who lured me up here, right? So what were you planning to do?"

Kokichi is too focused on the gentle touches and his own rapidly increasing heart rate to really listen to what Kaito is saying - he isn't really used to being touched like this. Sure, Rantaro's ruffled his hair or given him a pat on the back or a friendly hug but this was so much more intimate.   
  
Half of him hopes Kaito can't tell how fast his heart is beating, while the other half wants him to know. Was he always this weak around him? He decides not to think about it anymore.   
  
He regains his composure and begins to respond to Kaito's question, doing his best to hide the nervousness in his voice,"Well, I was hoping I'd do you -"   
  
He cuts himself off when he hears footsteps coming up the stairs.    
  
"Kaito? Are you okay? You've been in the bathroom for a while so.."    
  
Shit, it was that little emo reject Shuichi! Of course he'd come looking for his best friend; he always was a nosy bitch. They were so careless to almost let themselves get caught like this.   
  
Thinking fast, Kokichi whispers a quick "Sorry!" to Kaito before roughly pushing him away. The shocked expression on his face is painful to see, but they couldn't be caught like this.    
  
They still had time. "Kaito," He whispers just loud enough for him to hear, "play along, Shuichi's coming!"

Being shoved away so roughly catches Kaito off guard but he quickly catches on to what’s happening when he hears footsteps slowly coming up the stairs, Kokichi’s hurried whisper following after.

_ Shit,  _ Kaito thinks, and wipes away the small beads of sweat that form on his forehead. He tries to get back into the same mindset he had regarding Kokichi in high school; his mind flitters to that time when the little brat switched up the chemicals in his science project when he wasn’t looking that somehow ended with his research project being destroyed - shit, he was still pissed about that. That bitch.

Shuichi’s footsteps coming closer, he takes a deep breath and gets into character. 

“What the hell’s wrong with you?!” He shouts, hands naturally balling up into fists. 

Kokichi panics. Shit, they had to have a reason to be fighting, right? Well, he thinks, he might as well make it authentic. He'd regret this if he had the time, good thing he doesn't.

  
He closes his eyes for a moment and thinks back to highschool to get into character. He remembers the time he stole Kaito's phone and texted the girl he liked that he had a fetish for being milked. God, he really was a horrible bitch, wasn't he?   
  
He smirks. He's ready.  
  
He runs up to Kaito and spills his drink all over his shirt. Well, shirts. Why did Kaito wear so many fucking shirts?  
  
He cringes before Kaito's even has the chance to react; he knows he'll be pissed. He mentally blames Shuichi for his own actions, fuck that guy.   
  
"Oops! I'm sooo clumsy, sorry about that!" He really is sorry, but his bitchy tone says otherwise.

As the grape panta soaks through Kaito’s new, white shirt, the only thing that he can do is stand there, dumbfounded at his boyfriend. He had just bought this shirt - it was his first time wearing it out since then. And now the Tweety Bird logo was covered in Kokichi’s favorite soda, turning it from yellow to a disgusting looking brown; the white cloth following after as it begins to spread and drip off of him.

“Fuck,” He gasps as he tugs the shirt away from him so his skin doesn’t get too sticky - even the shirt he had on over was a casualty. “Fucking hell, Kokichi!” 

Before he was just faking it, but now he was beginning to feel actual anger course through him. Why did he do that? He could’ve just lied, and acted like he hated him - that’s his fucking specialty,  _ what the hell - _

He sees Shuichi finally enter the room from his peripheral, but his attention is mostly on the somewhat playful expression that Kokichi bears.

“Why the fuck did you do that?!” He shouts, practically ripping off the shirt he was wearing over so it won’t get too damaged. “I’m wearing white for fuck’s sake!”

Kokichi's first thought upon seeing this whole scenario is that he fucked up - BAD. He knows he really fucked up this time, but it's too late to turn back, and because of Shuichi he can't even apologize properly. Would he apologize properly? Probably not, no matter how much he wants to he just never can.    
  
His second thought is that Kaito's really hot when he's angry. Did he just rip his shirt off? Fuck, he has to think about something else, he can't get a boner in the middle of a fight! Well, not in front of Shuichi, anyway.   
  
He takes a step back from the new sticky puddle on the floor, puts on an mask of indifference and sighs, "Are you that dumb? It's a hideous shirt, Momota. I'm doing you a favor, really."    
  
It is a hideous shirt, but Kokichi loves it. Hopefully they're be able to get the stain out later.

“It’s not fucking hideous!” Kaito argues back. Ok, maybe it is a little ugly, but when Kokichi says it, he feels like he has to defend the hell out of it. Not like it matters anyway - he’s not sure if he can ever save it. He can feel the shirt sticking to his body now. Gross. 

God, whatever. He can just change into a new shirt. Hopefully Rantaro has another one he can wear.

Shuichi looks like he’s ready to break up the two of them, but Kaito takes the initiative. He shakes his head and steps past Kokichi, his shoulder pushing roughly into him as he does. He ignores the tiny amount of guilt that he feels for it and presses on. “Come on, Shuichi. Let’s go back down.”

Kokichi doesn't say anything. He just watches them go down the stairs in silence.    
  
Whatever, Kaito will forgive him later, he always does. When he's sure everyone's left he starts to clean up the spill. He might be a bitch but he's a bitch who can't afford to replace Rantaro's ridiculously lavish flooring.

  
Once they're down the stairs Shuichi taps Kaito's shoulder to get his attention. Though fights between those two aren’t uncommon, this one seems different somehow.    
  
He speaks nervously, hoping he won't upset Kaito any further, "Kaito are- are you okay? I'm really sorry about your shirt. I’m sure Kirumi can help us fix it, I saw her in the kitchen making drinks earlier."   


Kaito grimaces.  _ Am I okay?  _ The anger that he felt is still fresh, so no, he would say that he isn't. 

But still, he forces himself to not discuss it, and hangs his arm over Shuichi's shoulder. "It's fine! Let's hurry and get to the rest of the party."

* * *

Kaito is quiet the entire way down the stairs. He just can’t believe Kokichi would do that...well, yes, he can...but he didn't think he would do it to him now.   
  
He gives Shuichi a smile, despite all of the thoughts swirling about his head. His best friend was a nice guy. He can't stay mad when he's trying to make him feel better.    
  
"I'm fine," He says, wishing it were that easy. "And yeah, we can ask her...I feel kinda bad about it, though."

Shuichi smiles at that, glad that Kaito is feeling better. "I don't think she'll mind," He adds, "I'm pretty sure she comes prepared for this sort of thing after-" He's cut off when someone taps him on the shoulder - it's Rantaro.

Rantaro gives the two of them an easygoing smile. After nodding at Kaito, he makes eye contact with Shuichi. “Hey, we’re going to play some games. I think Miu said something about seven minutes in heaven. You’re in, aren’t you?” He raises his eyebrows a bit at him.

Shuichi blushes at this and looks down in embarrassment. Is Rantaro hitting on him? Did he want to play seven minutes in heaven with him? No, there's no way someone as attractive and popular as Rantaro would want him. He pushes the thought away and responds, trying his best to hide his anxiety,   
  
"Uhm I-I don't really know if I'd be any good at it, and I'm sure no one really wants to play with me, anyway."    
  
Shuichi's thoughts are filled with his own screaming. Why does he always have to sound like such an emo little bitch? He really wishes he were wearing a hat so he could hide behind it right now.

Rantaro takes a second to register what Shuichi said before blinking and easing back into a soft smile. "Don’t talk about yourself like that. I’m sure that plenty of people would want to play with you - I know that I do.” He winks before turning to look at Kaito. “You’re coming, aren’t you?” 

Kaito nods. “Yeah - oh, but, do you have a shirt that I can change into first?”

“Oh, yeah,” Rantaro looks surprised as he sees the purple stain for the first time. “You can just leave that in the kitchen and I’ll see what we can do about it.”

Kaito turned to look to Shuichi. “You will play, yeah? I’ll be right back.” He turns and leaves.

Shuichi's screaming in his mind again, but this time for a different reason. Rantaro wanted to makeout with him? His whole face felt hot, he was probably blushing really badly (curse his cream cheese complexion). He realizes he's just been standing there, looking shocked, staring at Rantaro. He doesn't know what to do and before he can stop himself he just starts talking, his words coming out too quickly,   
  
"Y-you want to.. I mean, t-together? Uhm, you'd want to... kiss? With me?" His face gets impossibly hotter, he wants to die but he can't stop stuttering out more awkward nonsense, "Oh god I'm so sorry I-I'd love to play. W-with you, I mean I'm just surprised that you'd want to-" He cuts himself off before he can make himself look any worse than he already does. He focuses on the expensive paintings on the walls, the vases, anything but Rantaro's face.

Rantaro huffs out a laugh. The way that Shuichi stutters and blushes like a little virgin is adorable. “Hey, it’s okay. Come on.” He grabs Shuichi’s wrist and pulls him into the other room, where most everyone had already gathered. He sees Kokichi standing off a bit to the side. He’ll have to talk to him later - he has a strange suspicion that the sweet smelling stain on Kaito’s shirt was grape panta. 

He pulls Shuichi down to sit with him - he nods to Korekiyo on the other side. 

“Not too bad, is it?” He says, trying to calm Shuichi’s nerves. Kaito comes back with a fresh shirt on and sits on the other side of Shuichi - just as he thought, the guy had made a point not to look in Kokichi’s direction.

Kaito watches as Kaede passes Rantaro a hat, presumably filled with the names of everyone in the room. He steals a glance back at Kokichi - he’s still not looking too engaged in the party, but the fact that he’s present has to mean something, right?

He mentally sighs. No, Kokichi isn’t really one to apologize. But it would be nice if he did.

Rantaro clears his throat. “I’m going to pull out the first names,” He says, and the room gets significantly quieter. He pulls out a slip of paper, and seems to smile a bit. “Shuichi,” He says, and looks to the boy sitting beside him. Kaito sends him a thumbs-up as he gets up, and Rantaro pulls out another paper, only for his face to fall. “Korekiyo,” he says, putting both slips down on the floor beside him.

Kaito blanches a bit. Korekiyo was kind of creepy - not that he really talked to the guy. He hopes that Shuichi doesn’t have some sort of mental breakdown in the closet with him. He watches the two of them enter in silence.

* * *

The door to the closet closes and they're left in total darkness. There's not a lot of space in the closet to begin with and since Korekiyo's so tall they're forced to sit incredibly close to each other. Korekiyo's legs are on either side of Shuichi and if he were to lean forward he could kiss him. 

  
Shuichi was shocked by his own thoughts. Did he want to kiss Korekiyo? Would it be weird if he did? He didn't know him that well- they had some of the same college classes together and helped each other with homework on occasion but they'd never really hung out outside of school.    
  
Even in the darkness he could tell Korekiyo was looking right at him. He wanted to say something but he forgot every word he'd ever known.    
  
"Uhm, I'm," He started with a stutter, "I'm sorry you got stuck in here with me. I'm sure you were hoping for someone more exciting, right?"    
  
_Classic Shuichi_ , he thought to himself, _turning every conversation into self deprecation._

Korekiyo, accustomed to the darkness, barely blinks as the door closes and Shuichi begins to awkwardly stutter at him. Korekiyo, being in many of the same classes as Shuichi since high school, is already quite used to this - but he's more on edge tonight.   
  
He snickers a little bit. He can guess what's got him so nervous. "It is quite all right," he says, enjoying watching as Shuichi's fingers fiddle together. "Personally, I find you quite exciting on your own. I am actually glad that we were chosen to come in together."

Though his words make him feel relieved, Shuichi really doesn't know how to respond to this. So he talks without thinking, his face burning again.   
  
"You're glad we're here together? Sorry if I'm misunderstanding, but does that mean you want to..." He knows what he wants to say, he knows Korekiyo knows, too, he just can't bring himself to finish his sentence.   
  
Korekiyo takes another second to stare at him. Shuichi is too embarrassed to finish his sentence, but it doesn't take much to try and deduce what he was going to say. In fact, he finds the entire situation amusing. He laughs again, softer than before.   
  
"It was not my intention. I merely meant that I find you interesting as a person… And there are others that I would much rather not be selected with..." he trails off a bit, fiddling with a button on his jacket. Shuichi is waiting ever so patiently for him to finish speaking. He truly was a fascinating, patient person… While he could use up all of their time together observing his reactions to their environment, he starts to feel the desire to play along with him.   
  
"However, I would not disagree in the notion that I have other interests in you."   
  
Shuichi didn't know why he suddenly felt so confident- maybe it was the fact that they were playing seven minutes in heaven, or Korekiyo's sweet words; whatever it was, Shuichi really wanted to kiss him.    
  
He places his hand on Korekiyo's knee and takes a deep breathe. "Kiyo, can we.. I mean if, if you're really sure about being interested in me, can we maybe.." He had to say it this time, Korekiyo deserved that much. "Can we kiss?"

  
Korekiyo smiles behind his mask. "Are you quite inexperienced, Shuichi?" He pulls the mask down slowly. "If so, I would be happy to help you… I cannot deny that I have thought of sharing more intimate moments with you before." He scoots closer, careful not to intimidate Shuichi too much.   
  
He knows he comes off a little too strong, but maybe it would help Shuichi gain some confidence.   
  
"I would enjoy it of you were to make the first move, Shuichi."   
  
Shuichi honestly doesn't know why Korekiyo wore a mask, he never really thought to question it. Considering the fact that he'd never seen him without it on in all the years he's known him, it must be pretty important. So for him to trust him enough to take it off...   
  
Shuichi didn't really know what it meant, he just knows Korekiyo's trust in him makes he feel all warm inside.   
  
Shuichi blushes at his words. He's thought of being intimate with him? He never thought anyone would think of him like that.    
  
Korekiyo's request for him to make the first move made him a little nervous; would he be able to satisfy him? What if he messes up? No, he has to ignore these thoughts - they only have seven minutes and he has no idea how much of that time is actually left, he can't lose his chance.   
  
He leans in a little bit closer, it must be obvious how nervous he is because Korekiyo brings a comforting hand to his face. Without really thinking about it he leans into the touch.    
  
Shit. Was that a weird thing to do?    
  
He opens his mouth to apologize but stops when he hears him whisper that it's ok.    
  
Right, kissing him. He can do this, he just needs to stop thinking so much. Shuichi closes his eyes tight, his whole body shaking. He leans in even closer, close enough that he can feel Korekiyo's breathe on his skin.    
  
Because of the lack of space and awkward position, he's pretty much sitting in his lap at this point. He brings both of his hands to Kiyo's shoulders and finally kisses him.

Once Shuichi touches their lips together, Korekiyo slides his hand from the curve of his soft cheek to the back of his neck, lightly weaving his fingers through his hair. Shuichi was shy, and the kiss was chaste; Korekiyo finds it cute. He wonders what kinds of reactions he would get from him if he were to ease him into being more bold.

Korekiyo leans more into the kiss, nipping a bit at his bottom lip before he pulls away - he can tease him a little more later, if the look on his face means anything.

His whole body tenses and Shuichi can't stop himself from whimpering when he pulls away. He's already panting just from that brief contact; he hopes Kiyo doesn't notice.    
  
God, he's so embarrassed but he still can't stop himself. His grip on Kiyo's shoulders tightens as he whispers nervously, "Please don't stop." He can't look him in the eyes so he focuses on the closet floor.   
  
Oh dear, Korekiyo's mind supplies as Shuichi holds onto him even tighter. Is he not worried for the time limit? Personally, Korekiyo himself doesn’t care if someone were to stumble upon them in such a suggestive position, but he didn't think that Shuichi wouldn't be able to control himself.    
  
He tucks these thoughts away as he leans back down to kiss his lips again, softly this time. "Tilt your head back, dear," he whispers, the tip of his nose brushing against his cheek.   
  
Shuichi closes his eyes and does as he's told.   
  
"Good boy," Korekiyo murmurs. Still having one hand threaded in his short hair, he pulls his head back a bit further, pressing a chaste kiss to his neck before biting down lightly. He lays his free hand against his boner and pushes down, waiting for a reaction and chuckling against his neck.   
  
"You are very worked up, Shuichi," he says.   
  
Shuichi gasps, it's so sudden that he doesn't have a chance to muffle it. He's sure everyone at the party can hear but he doesn't care. He can't focus on anything other than how good Korekiyo is making him feel. His entire body is shaking and oh god, he's crying, isn't he?    
  
As if the gasping wasn't enough, Shuichi realizes he's moaning now, too. The pressure from Kiyo's hand feels so good, he's so close, he's one touch away from coming-   
  
"Hey, guys, time is up-"   
  
Suddenly, the door opens, letting the entire party see exactly what was going on inside the closet.   
  
Rantaro, at first, doesn't register what’s going on. His eyes widen when he sees the two of them holding onto each other, and his hand drops off the doorknob in surprise. He hears Miu say something in the background, but he’s hardly able to register what it is as he steps in, lifting Shuichi up and away from Korekiyo.   
  
"Let's go," he says, making sure to keep his voice light. He doesn't make eye contact with Korekiyo as he turns away. "I'll get you some water before we start the next one."

* * *

Shuichi sits on Rantaro's bed attempting to drink a cup of water and wondering how he got here. He remembers the closet, Korekiyo touching him, the door opening and Rantaro picking him up; everything after that is a blur. He recognizes that he's still breathing heavily, his pants uncomfortably tight. His hands are shaking badly, some water spills onto him but he doesn't really care.   
  
Rantaro's standing in front of the bed leaned against the door, an unreadable expression on his face. He hasn't taken his eyes off of Shuichi since they got in here.    
  
Normally he'd be embarrassed by this whole situation, but everything still felt so hot and he was having trouble thinking about anything other than the throbbing between his legs. He sets the glass of water down on the dresser by the bed.    
  
He tries to say something to Rantaro, anything, but when he opens his mouth all that comes out is a needy whine of his name. He immediately covers his mouth with his hand, shock apparent on his face.

Rantaro’s eyes widen as Shuichi practically moans out his name. Since he took him to his room, he’s been basically shaking non-stop. He’s been trying to think of ways he can help calm him down, but he doesn’t know exactly what happened in that closet, and isn’t sure if he wants all of the details.

However, the fact that Shuichi was  _ completely and utterly horny _ at the moment was just too obvious. If it weren’t for how worried he felt over him currently, he probably would have-

_ No, no, _ Rantaro thinks, shaking his head.  _ Get your head together, Rantaro. _ But he can’t stop replaying the way Shuichi said his name in his mind...

Rantaro shifts from his position against the door. “Uh,” He says, not making eye contact with Shuichi, “I’m not sure what happened in there… but I can… help you out with that, if you’d like me to.”

Shuichi's mouth is dry; did Rantaro really just offer to get him off? The rational part of his brain tries to tell him this is a bad idea- how is he ever going to look at Rantaro after this? The horny part of his brain is  _ really _ horny and is practically shouting at him to accept Rantaro's offer- he listens to the horny part.   
  
He bites his lip to keep himself from making any more embarrassing noises and nods way too enthusiastically.

Rantaro’s eyes flutter a bit as he nods. He walks over and sits next to Shuichi, placing a hand against his cheek and forcing him to look him in the eyes. His other hand rests on the top of Shuichi’s thigh and squeezes it lightly. 

The touch on his thigh makes him quietly gasp. Shuichi looks at Rantaro, his expression is so gentle and soft, and he smells so good. The hand on his cheek is so warm and comforting, he maintains eye contact and nuzzles into it.   
  
A whisper of a smile settles on his lips as Shuichi nuzzles his cheek into his hand.  _ He's so cute _ , he thinks, and chuckles. He can feel the ends of his hair brushing his fingertips; it's so soft that he feels a strong desire to run his fingers through it.   
  
He brushes his thumb over Shuichi’s cheek before maneuvering up to run his entire hand over his hair, even brushing his silly little cowlick down in the process.   
  
Rantaro's intimate touch is the final straw. He tries to stop himself but he can't- Shuichi's whole body trembles, he's crying again and everything goes white. He moans loudly, unable to control himself, then makes an unholy noise that sounds like a mix between choking and sobbing. His hips start to move on instinct; he falls forward and hugs Rantaro tightly, all he can hear is his own panting.   
  
It takes a second for Rantaro to register what just happened.   
  
Shuichi was still panting, arms around his waist. He tries to backtrack - he took Shuichi out from the closet, came to the bedroom, then...   
  
"Did you just cum from me petting you?"   
  
It takes Shuichi a second to understand what Rantaro was asking him- he looks down and sees the wet stain on his pants. Oh. He came in his pants. Shuichi falls off the bed and screams.   
  
"EUUUAUUAAAUGH!!"    
  
He lands on his ass with his legs spread. Great! Now Rantaro can see his giant nut stain. He talks so fast he forgets to breathe.   
  
"Oh my god, Rantaro I'm so sorry you were just touching me so gently and you smell so nice like vanilla and your hands are so warm and no one's ever touched me like that before and I haven't really gotten off in a long time because Kaito's always home and I'm too loud to do it while he's there and you were just being so nice to me I," He stops to catch his breath and hide his face in his hands. "I'm so sorry."   
  
"Whoa, okay, slow down." Rantaro takes a long look at Shuichi's stain - yeah, he definitely came - before looking back and realizing that he was sprawled on the ground. He hurriedly gets up, extending a hand for Shuichi to take.   
  
"Look, I-" Didn't care? Rantaro mentally shakes his head. He can't just lie to him about it, especially when Shuichi had some weird talent of picking apart lies. "It's fine," he settles on. "I’ve.... uh, never seen anything like that happen before. And," He feels his face flush, "I didn't think I could make someone do that just by existing. Now come on, I'll find you some new pants."   
  
Shuichi takes his hand and stands up.  _ Rantaro didn't get off, _ he thinks. He feels a little bad. He keeps holding his hand and intertwines their fingers, (oh god, his hand is so sweaty he hopes Rantaro doesn't notice).    
  
"Rantaro uhm.. Before I change, did you want me to.." He glances at his pants. Rantaro didn't even have the chance to get hard. "R-return the favor?"   
  
"Ah," Rantaro replies, feeling a little embarrassed even though he wasn't the one who just creamed his pants. "I'm fine. Maybe we can try again later. But, um..." he looks down at their hands. "Your hand is really sweaty. Do you mind?"   
  
Once his hand is free, Rantaro sighs - then he sees the absolutely struck look on Shuichi's face. "Wait, it's okay," he tells him, trying to sound as soothing as possible even though he has no idea what to do in this situation. He decides to lean forward and kiss his cheek. "Don't be embarrassed."   
  
He smiles at the kiss; Rantaro's lips are so soft. Although he’s completely horrified by this whole turn of events, he’s happy that Rantaro is so willing to forgive him. He really was a great friend. Or were they more than friends? He'd think about it later.

* * *

Kokichi's been sulking alone on the couch in the corner for the past- how long had it been, anyway? Thirty minutes, maybe?   
  
Though if he's being honest, it hasn't been boring. He's had a great view of all the drama from his couch, and seeing Shuichi get dragged out of the closet by his best friend while he had a boner really made his night.  
  
Just then he sees Shuichi rejoin the group- was he wearing new pants? Deciding he has nothing better to do, he gets up and starts heading towards Shuichi.  
  
He shouts across the room as he makes his way over, "Heeey, emo bitch!" Rantaro glares at him- he hates when he calls Shuichi that but hey, it got his attention.   
  
"Ah, hey, Kokichi." Shuichi replies as politely as ever despite looking like he'd like to be anywhere but here.   
  
Kokichi decides to destroy him; if he has to have a bad night, then so does Shuichi.  
  
"So, I see you've got new pants." He starts the conversation normally, his expression innocent. Shuichi starts to respond, but Kokichi doesn't let him, he leans up to his ear and whispers,  
  
"I know you came in your pants, Shuichi."   
  
Shuichi's face gets somehow paler than it already was, he stutters something that Kokichi can't understand and runs off. Was he crying? Honestly, Kokichi was making shit up but going by Shuichi's reaction he guesses he was right. He laughs to himself. Sure, he fucked up with his boyfriend, but at least he wasn't Shuichi.

Rantaro gapes as he watches Shuichi run off.

“Dude, what the hell?!” He says, torn, between running after Shuichi and confronting Kokichi about what just happened. He tries to consider Shuichi’s feelings - would he want him to go after him? He didn’t know, and Shuichi was out of sight before he could even make up his mind.

His hands ball into fists as he turns around, slowly, to face Kokichi.

“What’s your problem?” He hisses - he makes sure to keep his voice down, but damn, he’s so  _ mad _ at him. “You’ve been acting weird all night. Don’t think that I don’t know what you did to Kaito earlier.”

Kokichi feels bad, really, he does. First he fucked up with Kaito and now his only friend? Unfortunately, he just can't stop himself from acting like an asshole.   
  
He sighs and rolls his eyes, looking at his nails and speaking with disinterest, "Rantaro, you know how I am! If you didn't want me to act like this maybe you shouldn't have invited me to your shitty party."   
  
Rantaro's eyes narrow. He doesn't have the patience to deal with his best friend’s backwards way of 'apologizing'; he shakes his head, hands placing themselves on his hips.   
  
"If you're going to act like that, Kokichi, then you can head back early. But if you feel like maybe acting like a little bit less of an asshole, if you can stay and maybe apologize… Though, I doubt you'll do that." He shuts his eyes. "Whatever, Kokichi. If you do anything else, I  _ will  _ kick you out."   
  
Kokichi pouts and replies in a bratty tone, "UGH, FINE, WHATEVER! I'll be 'good', are you happy now?" He doesn't wait for a response before turning and saying "Great, bye." and walking back towards the crowd.   
  
He knows he's the wrong one here but,  _ god _ , Rantaro was so annoying sometimes- trying to act like he was his mom or something.    
  
He looks for something fun to do and spots Kaito leaning against a wall alone - perfect.    
  
He sneaks up to him and pokes him in the side- he couldn't still be mad at him, right?    
  
Kaito doesn’t see Kokichi approach - but he sure as hell feels him. He jumps when he feels something poke at his side; he’s always been pretty easy to spook.   
  
But when he hears Kokichi talk in his usual, playful lilt, he stiffens.

"Hey Momota, did you miss me? You tooootally did, right?" He playfully draws out the word and continues to poke him.   
  
"Go bother someone else, Ouma," he says, voice flat. He's still pissed off at him, but doesn't feel like he has the energy to get into it right now. Instead, he watches Rantaro slowly make his way back to the group, stealing a few glances to where him and Ouma are. Kaito shifts, trying to move away.   
  
Rantaro turns his attention back to the hat. "Sorry about the wait, guys. Let's continue on then."   
  
_ Fuck, fuck, fuck! _ Kokichi thinks, Kaito is still mad? He usually never stays mad for this long. He looks up at him with fake tears in his eyes (and real tears in his heart, if he's being honest, which he never is), and whines, "You're soooo mean! Can't you just forgive me already?"

  
Kaito grimaces. Shit, he hates it when Kokichi tries to make him feel bad… Because it works every damn time.   
  
_ He never even apologized, _ his mind snidely supplies. He thinks of his shirt again; he hopes it'll be okay. He wanted to wear it to the Looney Tunes movie marathon with Shuichi.   
  
He's about to tell Kokichi to can it when he realizes that Rantaro’s already pulling out names again. He huffs instead, trying to focus so he can hear what's going on.   
  
Rantaro takes a quick breath as he reaches his hand inside. He has a plan, but he has to be careful that no one else will see the slips as he pulls them out. He slides one out deftly, looking out through his peripherals, and glancing at it out of mere curiosity.   
  
The name on the slip makes him chuckle. Well, that's convenient. "Kokichi," he says, a smile curving against his lips. "You're first...and," He pulls out another paper, taking a look for show, before looking straight back at his friend. "Kaito."   
  
Kaito could feel everyone’s eyes on him as soon as Rantaro said his name. His entire body stiffens as he glances around the room, eyes finally flittering to Kokichi before he sneers, raising a fist in the air. "No. No way in hell I'm going in there with him!"   
  
He doesn't know how much of what he said was an act, and how much of it was because of his current anger towards him. But it didn't matter. He really didn't want to be alone with him right now.   
  
Kokichi smirks,  _ this is perfect. _ He begins to walk to the closet, turning around when he's halfway there and saying, "What's wrong, Momota? Are you afraid everyone will find out that you're secretly in love with me?" He then winks at him before turning back around and stepping into the closet, positive that Kaito will follow him.   
  
He knows Kokichi is just fucking with him, but the taunt doesn't fail to make his veins burn with anger. He sneers as his fist clenches even tighter. "I'm not afraid of anything, asshole!" he says, and begins to stalk after him to the closet.   
  
Rantaro comes after to close the door, giving a very pointed look to Kokichi before reminding them of the timer and shutting it.   
  
Kokichi wastes no time- the second Kaito sits down he crawls into his lap and starts mouthing at his neck, whispering into it, trusting no one outside will be able to hear, "I know you're mad at me Kaito, so let me make it up to you."   
  
He pulls up Kaito's shirt and begins to touch his chest, "Besides, it's been so long since we've been alone together, and we only have seven minutes."   
  
Kaito shudders at Kokichi's touch, but he can’t just let him do this. Kokichi had a habit of trying to apologize through sex instead of talking, and frankly, he's getting tired of it.   
  
"Kokichi, stop," he whispers. When he doesn't get a reply right away, he grabs onto his hands, and waits for Kokichi to look at him. "Don't do this."   
  
Kokichi looks into Kaito's eyes - he looks so serious and concerned. If he were anyone else, that look would really piss him off. He's silent for a moment as he stares at Kaito's face, he really cares about him, doesn't he? He should really apologize sincerely, right? 

Too bad he can't.   
  
"Look, Kaito, I'm sorry, ok? It's really not a big deal can you please stop looking at me like that?" 

Without thinking some of his real feelings slip out.

"I just..." He bites his lip. “I just really want us to be alright again."   
  
Kaito takes another second to stare into Kokichi's eyes - he can tell he's not being completely sincere, but there's some honesty to his words… And that's enough, right?   
  
_ It's fine _ , he thinks. His eyes close.  _ Just let it go. _   
  
With a sigh, he releases his hold on Kokichi's hands. "Okay," he says, attempting a smile - it's smaller than he'd like it to be, but it'd have to do. "I'll believe in you."   
  
Kokichi ignores the guilt that Kaito's words make him feel and decides to get back to his original plan. "So.." He returns his hands to their previous position under Kaito's shirt, "Can we be slutty now?"   
  
Kaito shifts a little bit - Kokichi's hands are cold, he hasn't touched him there in awhile; it's a little strange.   
  
He sighs a bit dramatically, just for show, and says, "Yeah, okay, but stay quiet."   
  
Kokichi smirks at that. "Oh, I'm the one who needs to stay quiet?" He brings Kaito's hand to his mouth and licks in-between his middle and ring finger, "Are you sure about that?"   
  
Kaito's breath catches as his boyfriends tongue drags across his skin. He squints past the sensual pleasure that begins to spread through his body. "Shut up," he says, bringing his free hand up to brush some hair away from Kokichi's eyes.   
  
Kokichi giggles at his reaction and kisses him hard. He pulls his hair to tilt his head back so he can get a better angle and licks the roof of his mouth. Normally, he'd start out slow, but they only have a couple of minutes.   
  
As Kokichi continues to have his way with him, Kaito wraps his arms around him. He firmly grasps his ass, smiling at the sound that his boyfriend makes when he does.   
  
Kokichi bites his lip to muffle the noise and pulls Kaito closer while grinding down in his lap. He decides to be generous. "Kaito," he says, trying really hard to stay quiet and hide the breathy tone of his voice. He undoes his checkered scarf, throwing it onto the closet floor and craning his neck to the side. "You can mark me if you want, you're always begging me for it and no one will be able to see it under my scarf, anyway."   
  
Kaito hums, rubbing his hands in circles on his boyfriend’s ass. This was Kokichi's way of apologizing; letting him do things that he wouldn't normally. He appreciates it, but...

He needs to stop thinking so much.   
  
Kaito presses a kiss to his exposed neck. "Someone's needy," he says, kissing his revealed, milky white skin again before finding a good place to latch onto.   
  
Kokichi's never really let Kaito give him a hickey before, so the feeling catches him off guard, causing him to whimper. Why didn't he let him do this before? It feels so nice.   
  
He moves Kaito's hands off of his ass for a second while sitting up slightly and unzipping his own fly. He then guides them into the back of his now open jeans and starts to grind faster.   
  
Kaito takes his mouth off Kokichi, the feeling of him grinding on his lap causing him to gasp. Instead, he nuzzles his face in his neck. "K-Kokichi," he murmurs quietly.   
  
Kokichi starts gently petting Kaito's hair and kisses his head, "It's okay, I'm right here." His words come out surprisingly comforting, despite the situation. He reaches down with one hand to unzip Kaito's pants. "We have to hurry, I think our time is almost up.”

Kaito's eyes slip shut as Kokichi strokes his head. He really likes when his boyfriend does little affectionate things like this.   
  
He then freezes when he feels him unzipping his pants. "W-wait," he whispers. "What are you doing? They'll catch us..."   
  
Kokichi rolls his eyes at that. "Well, how else are we supposed to get off? What, you want us both to leave here with boners?" He thinks back to Shuichi's predicament and continues, "Or very obvious jizz stains?"   
  
He grabs Kaito's dick through his underwear and squeezes, causing him to groan loudly the exact second the door opens.   
  
As soon as it opens, Kaito's blood goes cold. On impulse, he kicks Kokichi right in the chest, launching him away from him, causing the poor boy to fall back with a loud  _ thunk. _ Kaito winces.  _ Shit. _   
  
Rantaro covers his mouth at the sight.  _ Oh, fuck _ , he thinks, not sure if he should laugh or try and help Kokichi, who has fallen on the ground like a limp ragdoll.

  
Kokichi can't even react to Rantaro's entrance with more than a pathetic whimper because everything hurts - his head hit the wall of the closet hard and his ribs feel like they just got kicked by a fucking horse.    
  
He knows he should make some snarky comment about Kaito being a slutty drunk, or this whole thing being a fight for control, but all he can manage is a hurt look in his direction.   
  
Kaito gulps. He fucked up this time, really bad. But were there any better options? Kokichi is the one who insisted on keeping up the act. Despite the guilt that begins to swirl in his gut, he starts to feel a little annoyed at the betrayed look that Kokichi shoots at him.   
  
He pushes himself up, giving his boyfriend a sidelong glance before trying his best to zip up his fly nonchalantly, Rantaro silently stepping aside for him to walk through. He feels his face burning, but all he can think about right now is getting out of every ones sight so he isn't bombarded with questions.

* * *

Shuichi sits alone in one of Rantaro’s spare rooms, his knees to his chest and his face buried in his arms, trying to compose himself. So much had happened and he just needs some time to think.    
  
He closes his eyes and thinks back - he was in the closet with Korekiyo, they kissed and did some...  _ other stuff.  _ He blushes at the memory. Then, he went to Rantaro's room… Rantaro was so nice to him and offered to, uh,  _ 'help him out', _ and then he-!   
  
Shuichi shakes his head.  _ God, _ he is such an idiot! It was so obvious, too; Kokichi figured it out so easily. He starts to cry again just as the door opens.   
  
"Wh- Shuichi, dude, what's going on?" Kaito chokes out - he wasn't expecting to run into him here, much less crying. When did Shuichi get here? Why hadn’t he paid better attention to him? He frowns, and thinks again about his awkward boner.   
  
_ Bros before hoes _ , he thinks solemnly before sitting next to him.    
  
"Hey, why are you crying, dude?"   
  
Shuichi sniffles and lays his head on Kaito's strong shoulder, taking a deep breathe. Kaito's his best friend, he deserves to know, but Shuichi's just _ so _ embarrassed.   
  
His voice cracks when he speaks, "N-nothing.. really happened, I just - messed up I guess? Um, after I went back to Rantaro's room we-" he stutters, "I, uhm.." he pauses for a moment and covers his face with his hands, "I'm sorry, Kaito, it's not that I don't trust you... I'm just really, really embarrassed."   
  
"Hey, it's okay. You don't need to tell me everything," Kaito replies, trying to sound as comforting as possible, but what's going on in his his mind is totally different.   
  
_ What the hell were they doing in there _ ? He racks his brain - so much has happened to him at this party, and it’s only been around an hour - and then his eyes widen as he remembers.

Rantaro looked pretty pissed off when he opened that closet. 

_ Holy shit. _   
  
"Uh..." Kaito scratches the back of his head with his free hand, trying not to let the revelation that Rantaro may be into his best friend affect him too much. "Do I need to kick someone's ass, or...?"   
  
"No,” Shuichi responds solemnly, “the only ass you'd need to kick is... Mine." He says this while dramatically looking out the window - it wasn't raining outside, but it was raining in his heart.   
  
Kaito blinks.

_ Okay, what the fuck, Shuichi. _   
  
He thought he would get better and not be such an idiot, but it looks like he still needs to work on him some more.   
  
Kaito mumbles a curse under his breath before shaking his friend. "Don't say that! I think if I kicked your ass it might break,” he adds, “Now, dry your tears. You need to get back out there and have some drinks or something."   
  
Shuichi really doesn't want to go back out there but he knows Kaito will make him regardless of any protests he might have. He also wonders why Kaito came here to begin with, but decides not to pry.   
  
He stands up and clears his throat. "O-okay, you're right, Kaito, let's go."

Kaito gives Shuichi a grin before ruffling his hair. “That’s my sidekick,” he says, pulling him up. “Now, let’s get drunk.”

* * *

Rantaro grimaces as he hands the ice pack off to Kokichi, noticing he’s still moaning in pain. He isn’t sure how much of it he was faking, but that kick  _ really  _ looked like it hurt. He feels kind of bad, knowing that it is partially his fault for forcing him and Momota into the closet together.

He sighs. Tonight’s been...kind of a mess so far.

“So...” He starts, looking at his best friend expectantly. “How did it go in there?”

Kokichi glares up at him from his spot on the kitchen floor, when he replies his voice is louder than he'd intended. "I'm still half hard and all my ribs are broken! How do you think it went, asshole?"

Rantaro raises an eyebrow. “Hard, huh? You got something you want to share with the class, Kokichi?”

Kokichi lets out an annoyed huff, “Don't play dumb, Rantaro. You know what happens during seven minutes in heaven." He's starting to feel a little better and decides to tease his best friend.   
  
A playful smile appears on his face as he says, "I mean, you made Shuichi cream his pants, didn't you?"   
  
Rantaro feels his face flush.  _ So Kokichi did figure that out. _   
  
"Please don't remind me," he chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I really thought I was finally going to get somewhere with him. Guess I'm not that lucky, huh?" He smiles and extends a hand. "Do you wanna go back out?"

  
Kokichi smirks while accepting his hand and standing - he's not going to let him off the hook that easily. "Aw, don't be embarrassed, Rani. If you made him jizz in his stupid Hot Topic skinny jeans that must mean he finds you  _ really _ sexy, right? You do have that huuuuge ass." He laughs and looks at his phone before Rantaro has the chance to answer. It's a text from Kaito-   
  
'sry abt kicking u. r u ok?'   
  
Perfect. He quickly texts him back then finally answers Rantaro's question.   
  
"I'll head back later I've got," He motions to his dick, "Something to take care of first."   
  
Rantaro shakes his head, face growing even warmer. It's always embarrassing to him when Kokichi points out the size of his ass.    


He has a feeling that he knows just who’s texting him when Kokichi pulls out his phone, his face seeming to light up a bit. Rantaro smiles again while taking the ice pack back from Kokichi and putting it away.   
  
“Yeah, yeah, go and do your thing. Text me later if you want a ride back."

* * *

When Kaito and Shuichi make it back to the rest of the party, his phone buzzes - he looks around him to make sure no one’s paying attention before opening the message.   
  
‘wannna make ut up to me? meet me in the upisratairs batgroom ;o)'   
  
Kaito can’t help the smile that tugs on his lips. He slides his phone back into his coat pocket and turns to Shuichi, who is now joined by Maki and Kaede.    
  
“I’m going to go see how my shirt is doing,” he lies, and then looks to Maki. “Make sure this guy doesn’t sulk too much while I’m gone, ‘kay, Maki Roll?” He waves before leaving.   
  
Maki sighs and grumbles out an affirmation towards Kaito before turning back to Kaede and Shuichi.

"Kaede." She gets the other girls attention, her stare intense. “Are you sure this is a good idea?"   
  
“Yes!” Kaede exclaims. She looks past her and begins to wave enthusiastically. “Oh, Rantaro, come over here!”   
  
Rantaro walks over slowly, grabbing a drink off of the counter next to them. He glances at Shuichi for a second before acknowledging Kaede. “What’s up?” He brings the cup to his lips, trying to act casual, although his nerves are still a bit jittery over what happened with Shuichi earlier.   
  
“You’re good friends with Ouma, aren’t you? Has he ever said anything weird about Momota?”   
  
Rantaro chokes a little bit. He looks at her in surprise -  _ yes _ , he wants to say,  _ he has said many weird things about him. Multiple times. _   
  
Instead he coughs and shrugs. “Beats me.”   
  
Kaede pouts for a second, but her expression quickly repairs itself back into a smile. “Well, you saw them in the closet, right? Don’t you think that they’re totally into each other?”   
  
Shuichi chokes on his own spit at that. He starts coughing for a bit, mentally screaming at himself.  _ Shit, shit, shit, Rantaro's looking at me, I look so stupid oh my god. _   
  
He clears his throat and turns to Kaede trying his best to hide the cracking in his voice. "Wh-what? What did they do in the closet together?"   
  
At that, Kaede begins to giggle. Rantaro turns to Shuichi, who kind of looks like he’s dying.    
  
“They were...” he thinks for a moment, trying to find the proper wording that won’t embarrass Shuichi. “Going at it, I guess. When I opened the door though, Momota kicked Kokichi off of him.”   
  
Kaede nods. She looks back to Maki. “They’re probably just too embarrassed to really do anything about it! I was thinking...” She bites her lip. “Maybe we should help them out a little.”   
  
Kaede’s words make Maki freeze. She wasn't really suggesting that, was she? She resumes her incredibly intense eye contact with Kaede. "Kaede. Please tell me you're not saying you want to-" She didn't have the chance to finish her sentence because somebody, (Shuichi) decides to finish it for her.   
  
"Set them up?! Kaede! You can't do that to Kaito, isn't he your friend?!" He sounds like he's about to cry.   
  
Kaede jumps, clearly startled at Shuichi's outburst. She puts her hand on his shoulder.    
  
"Whoa, Shuichi, calm down!" She says, and then gives Rantaro a look that is clearly a cry for help.   
  
"Hey, it's fine," Rantaro adds, gaining Shuichi's attention. "I don't think it'll be as big of a problem as you might think."   
  
Shuichi looks into Rantaro's eyes and remembers the incident from earlier. His cheeks turn bright red as he looks at the ground out of habit. "Ah - uhm. Okay."    
  
Rantaro smiles. Shuichi is really cute when he’s flushing like that. He thought back to the face he made when he came in his bedroom - he looks away once he feels his own cheeks begin to warm.   
  
"A-anyway," Kaede starts back up, seemingly renewing her determination. "I really just think that they need a push in the right direction. Even if they don't get together, maybe they'll get along better! Right, Maki?"   
  
Maki looks at Kaede with her signature resting bitch face, remaining silent for about thirty seconds. She can’t let her know that she doesn’t support the idea - it would only arouse suspicion. Kaede looks so excited, and she finds that she’s never resented anything more than her face in this moment.   
  
She finally responds in a cold, emotionless tone. "I don't care what you do, just don't involve me." Turning and walking away before anyone can stop her.   
  
"W-wait, Maki!" Kaede calls out to her as she walks off. Rantaro feels a little bad for her; he’s noticed how she's always hanging around Kaito, the way she flushes when he smiles at her. He wonders how she felt when he opened the closet door on them.   
  
He's shaken from his thoughts when Kaede starts talking again. "I wonder what's up with her..." She says, chewing again on her lip. "Well... what do you think Rantaro, Shuichi? We can try to get them to go on dates and stuff."   
  
Rantaro shrugs. "It wouldn't hurt, I guess." He turns to Shuichi. "What about you?"   
  
Shuichi's still having trouble looking Rantaro in the eyes and instead chooses to focus on playing with the buttons on his shirt.   
  
"If you guys think it will make Kaito happy, then of course I'll help."   
  
Kaede clasps her hands together. "Great! I'll text you guys later; I'm going to go check on Maki." She waves and heads off in the same direction that Maki did earlier.   


Rantaro can only sigh, take another drink and wonder what the hell is going to happen in the future.

* * *

Kokichi yawns as he walks through the door to their apartment; the party turned out to be a lot more fun than he was expecting. He sets his backpack on the floor and sprawls out on the living room couch, making sure to text Kaito that he got home safe.    
  
'heeey kaito! i made it home ok! is ur ass still broken? lol sowwy! u just looked so sexy, i couldnt help myself! (ﾉ≧ڡ≦)'

His phone buzzes almost instantly.

‘shut up it was fine lol. <3 u’   
  
He smiles at it before he spots Rantaro entering his room. He gasps, remembering something important, and calls out to him.

"Oh, Rantaro, before I forget!" He leans over the side of the couch and unzips his backpack, pulling out Shuichi's stained pants and throwing them right at Rantaro's face.   
  
He’d grabbed them so Rantaro could wash them later but he wasn't going to let this opportunity to annoy his best friend pass him by. "You're such a perv, Rantaro! Are you going to smell those while jacking off to Shuichi tonight?"

Rantaro picks the soiled pants off of his face with a grimace. “Are you serious,” he starts - he’s feeling a little dizzy from the party, and the thought of dealing with Kokichi’s antics at the moment just made him want to lie down for the rest of his life. However...

Rantaro glances down at the pants.  _ Damn _ , he thinks.  _ Shuichi really came a lot.  _

He catches himself wondering about them a bit more before he remembers that Kokichi is staring at him and giggling.

“Goodnight, asshole.” He doesn’t say anything more as he takes the pants with him to his room.


	2. How to be a Voyeur

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rantaro commences the first part of the plan to get Kokichi and Kaito together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second part is all Shuichi, so if you're not interested in his subplot, then you can just skip it!

Rantaro takes a look at the plan detailed in the group chat that Kaede had formed a few nights before. It was a little...wild, maybe, and he isn’t sure how exactly it’s going to pan out, but he agreed that he’d be on board. And, if Shuichi is in on it too, then...

He scrolls back through the chat.

_ Kaede: I think it should be you and Shuichi, Rantaro _

_ Kaede: You guys are the closest to them _

_ Rantaro: k _

_ Shuichi: HKGKDFH?!  _

_ Kaede: Make sure you talk to them both!!!!!!!!!! _

_ Shuichi: Sorry my hand slipped haha.  _

He chuckles before scrolling up a bit further and rereading the plan. Once he has it down, he opens his messages with Kokichi.

_ ‘hey meet me at that cafe where u did all those espresso shots, u kno the one’ _

He gets a reply only a few seconds after hitting send.

_ 'rn? uuuuuggh, i dont wanna get up! (・´з`・)' _

Rantaro sighs.

_ 'get up or ill tell everyone how u pissed urself in the woods behind campus' _

_ 'UUUUUUUUUGGGHHHSHUTUP!!!! FINE, IM COMING! (ﾒ｀ﾛ´)/' _

_ ‘>:3c’ _

He snickers before sending Shuichi a quick text that he got Kokichi before pocketing his phone. 

_ Time to head out, then. _

* * *

Shuichi arrives at the coffee shop with Kaito, frequently checking his phone to make sure they're at the right place. He feels a little bad about tricking his best friend but... it is for the best, right? Kaede and Rantaro are really excited about it, too. 

  
He bites his lower lip and glances at Kaito, hoping he won't be mad at him if he figures it out.   
  
"Dude," Kaito says, just as they walk into the coffee shop. "You've been acting kinda weird all day. Are you sure you're okay?"   
  
His words cause Shuichi to flinch. He lies quickly as they walk through the door, "Yeah, I'm fine! I'm just still a little embarrassed about what happened at the party, is all."

  
"Still?" Kaito blurts out, unable to hide his shock. What the hell happened that has him so wired? "You know you can talk about it to me if you need to, right? I'm here for you, bro." He pumps his fists together and smiles.   
  
"Well..." Shuichi starts, but his phone buzzes at that exact moment. He muffles out a quick apology as he opens up the message from Rantaro.   
  
'im here alrdy. where r u? did u get momota'   
  
He starts to reply.

'Yes, he's at the meeting spot. I'm on my way now' 

He hits send before turning back to Kaito and replying with another lie.   
  
"Kaito, I'm really sorry to bail on you, but Kaede just texted me. She, uh, started her period and doesn't have any tampons,” He blurts out, eyes widening at his own words. “She has really bad cramps and asked me to buy her some." He takes a glance out the window, and then his eyes widen. "Sorry,” he nearly shouts, and takes off, trying to get away from Kaito as fast as possible. “I'll talk to you later!"   
  
"Tampons? Wait, Shuichi?!" Kaito reaches a hand out to try and stop the other boy but he was too fast, and practically ran out while shouting his apology, leaving Kaito alone in the café. He stares after him, dumbfounded.  _ What the hell was that about?  _ _   
_   
With a sigh, he begins to step forward, ready to go after him. He can feel the intrusive stares of everyone else in the shop, eyeing him as he leaves - he usually wasn't one to be embarrassed or shy about people looking at him, but it was a little hard to not think about it after Shuichi made a commotion like that.    
  
He throws the door open, about to run down the street, when he hears someone else call out his name.   
  
"Heeey, Kaito!" Kokichi walks over to him with an easygoing smile. "Looks like we both got tricked, huh?"

Kaito stops in his tracks. “Ko- Ouma,” he corrects himself, and then clears his throat. “What are you doing here? I-” 

He pauses, the truth finally hitting him. His lips curl downwards, feeling something akin to betrayal - he was going to use this time to finally get into studying; he’d only agreed to come because he knew Shuichi was having a hard time with something.

He rubs his eyes. “Tricked, huh,” he repeats. “Why would Shuichi have both of us come here?”

For once, Kokichi doesn't know the answer - so he answers honestly. "I'm not really sure. Rantaro asked me to meet him here but then last minute texted me saying something came up and he'd be gone till tomorrow."    
  
He puts a finger to his cheek and thinks for a second before adding, "Maybe they want us to get along? We did fight a lot at the party." He gets a mischievous glint in his eyes before continuing. "We did some  _ other _ stuff there, too, but they wouldn't know about that, would they?"

Kaito flushes. “Shut up, don’t talk about it here,” he says, and looks around to make sure no one overheard them. Once satisfied, he sighed again. “I dunno what they expected us to do...should we just, uh...”

Kokichi sighs inaudibly as he begins to zone out. He looks out the window of the shop, and his gaze catches on something interesting. His mouth perks up into a smile.

Before he can finish his thought, Kokichi grabs Kaito by the arm and pulls him outside. He smiles up at him and says in excitement, "I see Shuichi over there, wanna follow him?"

Kaito yelps a bit when Kokichi suddenly begins to pull him outside of the café, earning the glares of many of the customers. He smiles awkwardly at them, but doesn't have the time to apologize before he's pulled outside by his tiny boyfriend.

“Hey, wait,” he says, tugging him back to regain control of himself. Kokichi lessens his grip, but continues to push on. Kaito groans as he keeps up. “Why are we following Shuichi?”

Kokichi shrugs as he continues to pull his stupidly tall boyfriend along, "Why not? Him and Rantaro forced us to come here, so we might as well have some fun with it."   
  
Kaito frowns. He's not sure what exactly following Shuichi would do for them, much less how it could possibly be fun. In fact, everything about what they are doing is making him feel uncomfortable; he doesn't think that Shuichi would appreciate him following him like a stalker, even if he did do something a little shady behind his back.   
  
"I don't know about this, Kokichi," he whispers, shrugging his arm out of his grip and clasping onto his hand instead. He holds it firm so that his boyfriend stops walking, and waits for him to look back before continuing. "Can't we just... I dunno, go back to your apartment or something? I know Amami has class soon, so..."   
  
Kokichi looks down at their joined hands - Kaito's hand is so much larger than his own, it makes him feel safe, and he doesn't want to let go.   
  
He looks around to see if there's anyone who might recognize them; there isn't, so he grips his hand tighter.    
  
He stares up at Kaito, thinking through his options before responding in a childish tone that contradicts his sly expression,   
  
"Fine. I'll make an exception for you just this once, Momota. But it's only 'cause you're soooo desperate for it."   
  
He laughs at Kaito's expression before continuing. "If you wanted to get in my pants so bad you should've just said so."   
  
Kaito's face flushes and he grimaces, his grip loosening from Kokichi's hand. "T-that's not what I meant," he says, wishing he could beat down the thoughts that begin to swirl in his head.   
  
He shakes his head. "Fine. We see what he's up to and then we go."   
  
Kokichi smirks while reluctantly letting go of Kaito's hand, "So now Mr. Righteous is up for stalking his best bro? How unexpected."   
  
"Wh- who said anything about stalking?!" Kaito shouts, attracting more attention to the both of them. He ignores the stares of passersby and moves in close to lower his voice again. "C'mon, let's just get this over with, you little freak," he mumbles, blush not letting up.   
  
"Whatever you say, Kaito!" Kokichi says as they begin to look for a suitable stakeout location. 

Kaito follows his his boyfriend as they skirt around the café. Kokichi was insistent on crossing to the street opposite of the one that Shuichi had walked inside, saying something about being as secretive as possible. He tries not to let it make him feel even creepier than he already does.   
  
They end up staying across the street from the building Shuichi's in, settling at a nearly vacant corner and trying their best to not look suspicious.   
  
"So," Ouma starts, "it looks like he's with Rantaro and... one second," he squints, trying to get a better view before reaching into his bag. Kokichi whips out a pair of binoculars that he’d snatched from Rantaro, and points them at the window of the shop all the way across the street.   
  
"Yoink! Okay, we should be able to see them better now." He uses them to focus in on Shuichi's table and continues his previous sentence while Kaito gapes at him, shocked at the binoculars that he plucked out his bag like it was  _ normal. _ "Shinguji? Why the hell is he there?"   
  
"Where the hell did you get those-” Kaito starts, and then freezes. “Wait, Shinguji is there too?"    
  
_ Are they studying together? _ Kaito thinks, and then pales as he remembers the closet incident that they had together. He hopes that that's all they're doing. Shinguji was a weird guy - he can’t even imagine what kinds of things he did in his free time.   
  
"Let me see," he says, and snatches the binoculars from Kokichi. Before he can take them back, he holds them above Kokichi's head. "Just give me a sec," he urges, before using them to focus in on the scene.   
  
Just as he said, Shuichi was there with both Amami and Shinguji.    
  
"What the hell are they doing?"   
  
Kokichi rolls his eyes and sighs. "Maybe if I could see anything I could tell you, but I can't because somebody took my binoculars!" He snatches them back from Kaito and resumes looking into the café.   


Kaito scoffs when Kokichi manages to snatch the binoculars back. He tries to squint his eyes to see if he could possibly make out anything inside the coffee shop, but all he can manage are extremely vague silhouettes. 

  
"Ok, ok, so it looks like Shuichi just embarrassed himself while ordering, classic Shuichi, and now he's sitting next to Shinguji while Rantaro gets their drinks."

“Hey, you don’t know that he embarrassed himself,” Kaito huffs. “Why are you always mean to Shuichi, anyway? He doesn’t hate you, you know.”

Kokichi puts the binoculars down and looks at Kaito while laughing, making sure to only answer the last half of the question. "Yeah, sure."    
  
He pauses for a bit and thinks about saying more - thinks about opening up to Kaito about his insecurities.   
  
Like how he's a coward who rejects others before they can reject him - or how he's terrified of Kaito realizing he could leave him for someone better.   
  
As always, he says nothing, and passes him the binoculars in an attempt to change the subject.   
  
"Did you want to use these again?"

Kaito stares down at Kokichi. He’s used to being able to pick out his friends problems and help them overcome them, but Kokichi has always been hard to read. Even though they’ve been dating for awhile, he still has trouble figuring him out.

It never fails to make his stomach churn uncomfortably. He wants to be able to help him - but his lack of ability to do so is what eats at him the most.

He sighs. He’ll have time to bring up that subject again later. 

“No,” he says, scratching the back of his neck - something of a nervous habit - and turns back to the shop across the way. “I’m fine, you can use them.”

Kokichi squints at him before returning to his previous activity, surprised by how easily he dropped the subject. He's sure Kaito will bring it up later, but for now he'll just worry about Shuichi.   
  
He clears his throat before talking again, "So it looks Rantaro came back with the drinks, he's sitting across from Shuichi and Shuichi's-"    
  
He pauses and zooms in more to make sure he's not seeing things.    
  
"Hey Kaito, take a look at this for a second."   
  
"Huh? Is there something wrong?" He takes the binoculars out of Kokichi's hands and brings them to his face.   
  
It takes a second for his vision to clear up enough for him to see the trio. Like Kokichi said, Shuichi is sitting across from Rantaro, but -   
  
"Something's wrong," he says, concern beginning to ebb into his voice. "Shuichi's acting kinda weird."   
  
Though Kokichi snickers at Kaito's innocence (stupidity?), he can't help but find his concern for his best friend really sweet.    
  
He gently grabs his hand, forcing him to lower the binoculars and look at him.    
  
"Kaito, it's all right, Shuichi's fine. He's..." He thinks about sugarcoating his words but decides to just go for it. "Shuichi's getting off."   
  
"What?" Kaito says, looking at his boyfriend with disbelief. He shifts, removing himself from Kokichi's grip to look back out. "I know you like lying to mess around, Kokichi, but I don't-"   
  
His entire body freezes.   
  
He lowers the binoculars, eyes still looking straight ahead. "I think that we're done here."   
  
Kokichi can't help but laugh at Kaito's stupidly shocked expression as he pokes him in the side. "Hey, at least he's having a good time, right?"    
  
His eyelids lower, and he trails his fingers down Kaito’s waist as he continues in a much more sensual tone, "We could go back to my place and have a good time, too."   
  
Kaito hands the binoculars back to Kokichi before covering his face with his hands with a groan.   
  
"How can you still be horny," he mumbles. He runs his hands down his face. God, he wishes that he never let Kokichi convince him into following Shuichi. "C-can,” he stutters, and then groans again. “Let’s just go.”   
  
He giggles at Kaito while putting the binoculars back in his bag, then decides to tease him some more. He pulls Kaito down by his shirt so they're closer in height and whispers.   
  
"How can I not be horny when I have the sexiest boyfriend in the universe?" Kokichi winks at him before beginning to walk back to his apartment, trusting that Kaito will follow him.   
  
Kaito straightens his back with a repressed groan. He takes another look to the café that Shuichi's in and grimaces.   
  
He wipes his forehead of sweat before jogging to catch up to Ouma.

* * *

Once Shuichi's out of sight, he stops to catch his breath and check his phone to see if Rantaro had replied to his text yet.

  
'Rantaro where are you? I'm outside."   
  
'im across the street from u lol. i can see u looking around'   
  
When looks up and sees that Rantaro is, in fact, watching him, he can't help the blush that tints his cheeks. He tries to hide his embarrassment as he crosses the street.

Rantaro chuckles as he waves down Shuichi. Watching him look around like a lost puppy is adorable, even if he is sweating while doing it.

“Sorry,” he says, brushing his hair out of his eyes and smiling. “I should’ve told you where to meet beforehand.”

Shuichi returns the gesture with a shy smile of his own. "No, it's alright." He's wiping his sweaty hands on his pants just as another voice calls out to him.

“Shuichi,” Korekiyo drawls out in his low, almost creepy lilt. 

Rantaro’s blood seems to freeze. He can’t help but feel a prick of anger deep in his chest at the sudden appearance of the other man. The memory of opening the closet with Shuichi sitting right in his lap flashes through his mind.

“Shinguji,” Rantaro says, turning to him and trying to not make it sound as forced as it really is. “Nice to see you here.”

Korekiyo’s gaze lingers on Shuichi before meeting his. “Ah, hello, Amami. Forgive me, I did not quite see you.”

Shuichi begins to greet Korekiyo and then remembers their time in the closet, his voice stuttering, "Ah-uhm. H-hey, Kiyo, it's nice to see you again."   
  
He doesn't even notice the tension in the room as he focuses on one of his sleeves out of embarrassment and continues. "What brings you here?"

“I was just on my way to the bookstore.” Korekiyo’s eyes look from Shuichi to Rantaro, and then back again. “What about the two of you? I hope I didn’t interrupt something.”

  
"N-no! You're not interrupting anything! Why don't you join us? We were just about to get some coffee. You can read there, if you'd like."

Rantaro turns and gapes at Shuichi. He didn’t really think that he would take the initiative of inviting someone else on what he was  _ heavily insinuating  _ was a date. Then again, Shuichi isn’t very bright when it comes to relationships... he’s been trying to throw him hints since their first year of college, and he’s not too sure if he has noticed  _ any _ of them, no matter how obvious they are.

He reigns in the irritation that begins to bubble in his stomach as he looks back at Korekiyo. “But you haven’t gotten your book yet, huh,” he says, easing a smile onto his face. “Don’t let us stop you.” 

Korekiyo’s eyes seem to shine in understanding. Rantaro has never been able to get a good read on the guy - he’s only talked to him once or twice; just from those conversations, he can tell that the guy moves at his own pace.

Still, he isn’t expecting it when Korekiyo seemed to chuckle under his sick mask. “That’s quite all right,” he says, looking straight back at Rantaro the entire time. “I would love to join you two.”

Shuichi, somehow still unaware of the tension in the room, smiles at Korekiyo's words. "I'm so glad you can join us."   
  
He looks at Rantaro with a shy smile and continues, "Should we head inside now?"

Rantaro feels Shuichi’s eyes on him but he continues staring straight at Korekiyo, who hasn’t yet dropped his own gaze. He didn’t think that Korekiyo was the competitive type, but if that’s how he’s going to play it...

_ Fine _ .

Rantaro turns to Shuichi. “Yeah, it’s just right here.” He slips his hand into Shuichi’s and easily intertwines their fingers together, feeling a bit smug.

Shuichi gasps in surprise at this and blushes yet again. He wants to apologize for his hand being sweaty but all he manages is a timid, "R..Rantaro.."   
  
"It's okay," Rantaro leans in to whisper, taking in the pink flush that blooms across his pale skin before pulling him into the café.    
  
"Oh my," Korekiyo says once they step inside. "It appears that we are the only customers here..."   
  
"Yeah," Rantaro nods, giving Korekiyo a short glance. "I rented out the place for our observations," he lies.   
  
"Observations?" At this, Korekiyo appears genuinely interested - his voice coming out a little higher and his body language changing. "What do you mean?"   
  
Rantaro purses his lips. Frankly, he's getting a little frustrated having to converse with the guy, but there's not much else he can do with Shuichi here. "We're setting up some friends, I guess. They're in the coffee shop across the street." He motions in the direction with his free hand before swiftly changing subjects. "Shuichi, do you want anything? I'll pay."   
  
Shuichi, still focused on Rantaro holding his hand, almost misses the question. He finally looks up from their intertwined fingers and answers, "Y-yes I'll have.." He pauses.  _ Shit. _ He just forgot every drink that's ever existed.    
  
He can feel them staring - he tries to think of a drink,  _ any _ drink. He closes his eyes.    
  
**> H O T C H O C O L A T E<**   
  
"I SEE NOW!" He shouts out loud, and then begs for the sweet release of death. He purposely avoids looking at their reactions to his outburst and resumes his order, attempting to sound confident.    
  
"I'll have a hot chocolate?"   
  
He says this like a question and his voice cracks halfway through the sentence.   
  
Rantaro notices how Shuichi's face continues to get paler as the workers stare at him. He coughs, hoping to get their attention off of him, trying to smile despite every organ in his body feeling like they're being crushed from secondhand embarrassment. "Two hot chocolates, then," he says, not feeling up to taking a longer look at their menu and having the workers stare them down even more.   
  
"I would like a small black coffee," Korekiyo pipes up, causing Rantaro to nearly jump - he'd forgotten that he was still here. His gut feels like it stinks even lower. "Thank you, Amami, for offering to pay."   
  
Rantaro shuts his eyes for a second. Whatever, he thinks, trying to will himself back into his usual calm and easygoing demeanor.  _ It's fine. Just pay for him. _   
  
The cashier rings them up and he passes his card over, feeling a bit like he's losing something important.   
  
Shuichi's pretty sure he died of embarrassment. Hoping the employees will forget his exists, he goes to sit at the table farthest from the counter.   
  
He's so busy screaming internally that he doesn't even notice when Korekiyo sits right next to him.

Rantaro thanks the employees after their drinks are finished, then carefully he grabs them all, balancing his hot chocolate on top of Korekiyo’s coffee as he turns around to walk back to the table -

Only to see Korekiyo sitting in the seat next to Shuichi.

Without thinking, his fingers curl a little tighter around the cups. 

_ Deep breaths, Rantaro,  _ he thinks, and shuts his eyes. He can get back at him later. Right now, Shuichi is waiting.

He opens his eyes again and walks briskly to the table.

“Hey,” he says, setting down Korekiyo’s coffee a little more forcefully than he’d intended. He plays it off by smiling apologetically before handing Shuichi his hot chocolate. “There you go.” He sits opposite of him, and crosses his arms on the table, eyeing the two.

Shuichi finally notices the subtle agitation between Rantaro and Korekiyo but thinks it's because they're embarrassed being seen with him.    
  
He focuses completely on the table out of shame as he thanks Rantaro for the drink.

“Thank you,” Korekiyo says as he takes his own cup. He wraps his fingers around the cup and seems to sigh. 

“So,” he starts, looking to Shuichi. “May I ask who exactly you are setting up and why?”

Shuichi expects Rantaro to respond; he doesn't. He just keeps glancing between his drink and Korekiyo with an unidentifiable expression. Shuichi decides to answer.   
  
"Kaito and Ouma, it was Kaede's idea. I wasn't there for it but apparently they..." He remembers his own time in the closet with Korekiyo and blushes before continuing, "Were uhm.. in the.." his voice begins to trail off, "closet together.."   
  
Korekiyo's eyes widen as he leans into Shuichi a bit, eyes flickering to Rantaro's before training on him again.    
  
"We had quite a time in the closet too, didn't we," he whispers, just loud enough for Rantaro to pick it up.   
  
Korekiyo's suggestive words send a surge of arousal between Shuichi's legs. He can't bring himself to look up as he stutters, "K-Kiyo, what are you..."   
  
The anger that had been bubbling in the pit of his stomach begins to rise. Rantaro can't take it - that smug look on Korekiyo's face as he looks to Shuichi; the way his body leans into him; how he fucking got him to pay for his drink even though he had obviously only offered to pay for Shuichi.   
  
His mind whirs. He has to fix this. He pulls out his phone and sends Shuichi a quick text.   
  
Shuichi suddenly jolts when he feels his phone vibrate - he checks it. It's a text from Rantaro, one he doesn't understand.   
  
'keep ur voice down'    
  
Keep his voice down? Is Rantaro worried he's going to have a repeat of the hot chocolate incident?   
Rantaro waits until Shuichi looks back up to him, confusion etched into his features.  _ Cute _ , he can't help but think, smiling a little at Shuichi's faint flush. He thinks, unbidden, how many different expressions he can make for him...   
  
Quietly, he feels around for Shuichi's leg with his foot - seeing his eyes widen confirms that he is, indeed, touching Shuichi and not Korekiyo. Gingerly, he lifts his cup to his lips just as his foot slowly slides up Shuichi's leg.   
  
Shuichi bites his lip at the feeling, making sure not to make any noise. 

He has a vague idea of what Rantaro's planning and as much as he hates to admit it, it excites him.   
  
Rantaro glances at Shuichi - he's trying hard to keep himself quiet - how cute. He swirls his cup around, feeling the liquid move from side to side.    
  
"So, Korekiyo," he starts, not even looking at him. "What do you think of trying to get Kokichi and Momota together?" His foot bumps against Shuichi's knee. He blinks, and begins to use it to stroke the inside of his thigh.   
  
Shuichi can already feel himself starting to get hard. He glances at Korekiyo -  _ he doesn't notice, does he? _ He thinks, eyes flickering from him back to the table.   
  
In an attempt to act like nothing suspicious is happening he joins the conversation, hoping he sounds casual.    
  
"Y-yeah Kiyo do you think they'd make a good-" He bites his lip harder as Rantaro's foot gets closer, his words starting to sound breathy, "Couple?"

Rantaro peeks over to Korekiyo - he doesn’t seem to be suspicious of anything yet. In fact, he looks quite relaxed, despite his perfect posture. His eyes closed, he sips his coffee slowly before answering.

“I am not quite sure,” he says, after another pause. Korekiyo opens his eyes, and they look straight into his cup instead of under the table. This gives Rantaro a strange burst of confidence. As he continues talking, Rantaro suddenly pulls away from Shuichi entirely.

“I have not yet seen them to act on any terms that were not hostile. However, there is a saying that love and hate are merely different sides of the same coin; I am not inclined to disagree.” 

Rantaro wants to laugh. There’s something about this situation that just seems endlessly hilarious to him - man, he can’t wait to go home and tell Kokichi all about it.

Of course, he still has things to do before then.

Quietly, he gently kicks off his shoe, and with a smile, he leans over and grabs Shuichi’s hand.

“Well, Shuichi?” He asks, and presses the ball of his foot straight into Shuichi’s crotch. “What do you think?”

"I-" Shuichi's answer cuts off into a gasp, he's so caught off guard by the whole situation that he doesn't have the chance to quiet himself. He had no idea that Rantaro intended to take things this far, and as much as he’s enjoying it, he doesn’t want to make another scene.

  
His face is flushed and sweaty as he looks at Rantaro with wide eyes. He immediately covers his mouth with his free hand, his words are muffled and rushed, "I'm sorry I suddenly feel really sick I need to go to the bathroom." He tries to get up.   
  
Rantaro quickly tightens his hold on Shuichi's hand. He knows that he shouldn't, and that he could easily follow him to the bathroom, but there's just something extremely satisfying about seeing Shuichi unravel in front of an audience.   
  
_ Kokichi was right, _ he thinks, feeling a tiny ounce of shame well in his gut.  _ I kind of am a slut, huh. _   
  
He wills his thoughts away. "Shuichi, are you okay?" He grinds his foot down even harder, trying very hard not to smile. "Was there something wrong with your drink?"   
  
Shuichi can't stop himself from loudly moaning into his own hand, his whole body shaking. He pauses for a moment in pure mortification, the only noise in the room his own heavy panting. It felt so good, but Kiyo was  _ right _ next to him.   
  
He looks at Rantaro, his eyes begging for mercy as he stutters, "Pl...please, I, I really do feel,” his voice cuts off for a moment as he holds back another moan, then shudders as he forces himself to finish his sentence. “S-sick. I feel sick."

  
Rantaro really doesn't want to stop - but he also doesn't want to force him to stay when he's practically begging to leave.   
  
He begins to let go of his hand, but stops at Korekiyo's voice.   
  
"But you don't really feel sick, do you," he says, and Rantaro's gaze snaps to him. He's removed his mask, revealing the subtle curl of his lips. His eyes glint knowingly, and Rantaro feels like his entire head has been thrown into a blender and pulsed.   
  
He knows, he thinks, eyes wide. It takes all of his strength to keep his mouth from falling open. He knows, and he's into it?   
  
Korekiyo's words and expression make Shuichi's dick throb. He finally removes his hand from his mouth to speak, grimacing at the trail of spit that connects them.   
  
Because Shuichi's an idiot, and despite the fact that Kiyo's words made him even hornier than he already was, he, (somehow), still hopes that maybe he doesn't know what's going on.   
  
He meets his gaze and tries his best to lie, his words coming out in between pants. "Kiyo... Kiyo, I really do feel sick, I-" he interrupts himself with a whimper when Rantaro starts back up again, his own eyes glazing over.

“Shuichi,” Rantaro speaks, tone coming out much harsher than normal. He turns his eyes from Korekiyo back to him. 

Annoyance ebbs into him. He grinds his foot down, harder; Shuichi practically squeals, and he covers his mouth with his hand in sheer horror at his reaction. Rantaro snickers, and grinds relentlessly, almost like he’s punishing him -  _ for what?  _ The saner side of him is begging him to stop, but he’s  _ pissed _ , pissed off that Shuichi was addressing Korekiyo and not him right now.

“Shuichi,” He says again, while tracing the outline of his dick through his pants with his toe, eliciting another gasp from him. He smiles, ignoring his own surge of arousal to continue playing with him. “You’ll feel better soon. I’ll make sure of it.” 

Shuichi, too horny to care if Kiyo sees anymore, finally turns back to Rantaro, the grip on his hand tightening as he rambles. "Please, I'm so close, please don't stop."    
  
A shiver runs down Rantaro’s back at Shuichi’s broken voice - he’d imagine that it would sound something like this, but experiencing it is a completely different thing. He feels the desire to hear him moan, to make him voice his pleasure more, but he tries to reel it back. He can see the employees still working behind the counter - thankfully, they haven’t spared a single glance in their direction since he sat down.

He takes a deep breath, letting air fill his lungs before he complies.   
  
Shuichi drops his head to the table and buries his face in the crook of his free arm, his breathing erratic. He's getting tears and drool all over his sleeve but he's too close to care.   
  
Rantaro roughly grinding his foot down a final time is all it takes for Shuichi to come, his back arching as he quietly moans out Rantaro's name, too caught up in the moment to stop himself.   
  
Hearing his own name spill out of Shuichi's mouth sends shivers down his spine. He bites the inside of his cheek, unsure that he would be able to stop himself from saying something too heavy for him too soon.   
  
But, God, he looked so good when he moaned his name as he came. He's going to have to tuck that memory away for later.   
  
Slowly, he lowers his foot from Shuichi's crotch - his sock is damp from his come soaking through his pants, and he tries not to think about it too much as he slides his foot back into his shoe.   
  
Giving Shuichi's hand a gentle squeeze, he leans into the table. "Are you okay?" He asks.   
  
Shuichi, still dazed, squeezes back and looks up at him with an adoring smile. He totally forgets where they are and who's watching and answers with too much honesty. "I'm always okay when I'm with you, Rantaro."   
  
Rantaro's face warms. He opens his mouth to reply, but finds that he can’t piece any words together properly - Shuichi is so adorable, and he feels like his heart is about to burst.   
  
After another second, he coughs. "I..." he grips Shuichi's hand even tighter, and brushes his thumb over his knuckles. "I'm glad."   
  
Shuichi's heart beats faster as he returns the gesture and closes his eyes. He mumbles into his arm. "That felt... really good."   
  
Korekiyo sighs quietly. He's pushed his mask back up onto his face, but with the way his skin pulls near his cheeks it looks as if he's smiling. "Well," he says, picking up his cup once again, despite not making any inclination to drink it. "That was interesting."   
  
Hearing Korekiyo's voice brings Shuichi back to reality and makes him remember what just happened. He sits up in confusion and is suddenly aware of how damp his pants are.  _ Oh, right, _ he thinks,  _ I came in my pants, in public, in front of Kiyo. _ _   
_   
His eyes widen in horror.

_ I JUST CAME. IN MY PANTS. IN PUBLIC. IN FRONT OF KIYO. _   
  
Shuichi pulls away from the table too quickly, causing his to chair fall over with him still in it, he topples over with an inhuman scream.   
  
"HHHAAAAAAAAAUUUGGHWWAUUGUUGH???!"   
  
Rantaro stands as soon as Shuichi falls back, his chair scraping horribly against the tile in the process. He stares from Shuichi's sad form on the floor to Korekiyo, who merely stares into his cup.   
  
He scoffs at him before rounding around the table and kneeling next to Shuichi. "Hey, it's fine, you're okay," he says, putting his hand on his shoulder. "I, uh," he stutters a bit, "Cleaned your pants from the party and have them with me."   
  
Shuichi grabs the hand on his shoulder and nods, trying his best to ignore his feelings of humiliation. "Thank you. I," He briefly makes eye contact with Korekiyo, then quickly looks away out of shame before continuing. "I guess I'll go change then?"   
  
He takes the clean pants before swiftly scampering out of the room, finally stopping to catch his breath once he makes it to the bathroom stall.    
  
_ Oh god, _ he thinks,  _ they must think I'm such a freak! _ He looks down at the fresh pants in confusion while changing.  _ Wait, why did Rantaro have my pants? _   
  
He decides to ask him later and reluctantly leaves the bathroom.   


* * *

"So," Korekiyo says, just as Shuichi disappears behind the corner. Rantaro can't help the frown that settles on his face as he turns back to him.

  
He shoves his hands in his pockets. "What?"   
  
"You had Shuichi's pants from the party," he notes, not even looking back at him.   
  
Rantaro squints at him. The way Korekiyo talks, how he acts, how he's even sitting relays disinterest, but he's not stupid.    
  
He's playing around with me, Rantaro thinks.    
  
"I'm sorry," he starts, hands pulling out of his pockets to cross against his chest. "Is this fun for you?"   
  
Korekiyo closes his eyes, and just when he thinks that he isn’t going to answer, he hears his familiar snickering spilling out - hidden by his mask, but recognizable nonetheless.   
  
The brief conversation between the two is interrupted when Shuichi nervously re-enters the room. Upon catching the hard look on Rantaro’s face, he stiffens, his grip on his dirty pants getting tighter as he pushes on.

_ What were they talking about, _ he ponders, as he makes his way back towards the table, gaze dropping back to the floor. He frowns as his anxiety begins to spike back up.

_ Were they talking about me?  _ He thinks, just as he makes it back to the table. He quickly slides his chair back out, but then pauses. _   
_   
He stands awkwardly in front of the chair for a minute, looking at the soiled pants in his hands. He finally sits down and asks, "What should I do with these?" he points to the pants in embarrassment. "I didn't bring any sort of bag.”

Rantaro’s face is hot with anger, and he can feel his stomach twisting, still hearing Korekiyo’s chuckles echo throughout his mind. He bites again on the inside of his cheek, trying hard to quash the feeling that the... _ freak _ in front of him was just playing around with them.

He closes his eyes, and reminds himself again to take deep breaths. It had always worked when he needed to take a quick reprieve from the troubles that his sisters caused, but now, it doesn’t seem to do much other than amplify the laughter in his head.

He opens his eyes, feeling himself resign to it. His eyes dart past Korekiyo’s figure, meeting once again to Shuichi. His mouth slips open as he realizes that he’d been talking to him.

“A bag, Amami,” Korekiyo speaks up, and Rantaro nearly seethes at him before remembering that Shuichi is still looking at him expectantly. 

“Yeah, uh,” he starts, then pauses, regaining his thoughts for a moment. “I have one. Here, I’ll clean them for you too.”

Shuichi blushes and hands his dirty pants to Rantaro.   
  
He notices his anger and, assuming it's his fault, decides not to ask, and instead thanks him,   
  
"T-thank you. I'm sorry you have to carry around something so dirty."

Rantaro's mouth opens to speak, but he's cut off by the sound of Korekiyo's chair scraping against the floor. "Forgive me," he says, brushing a stray piece of hair back behind his ear as he does so, looking to Shuichi. "It seems that I have forgotten about an appointment I had previously made."    
  
He pauses for a moment, before turning his gaze to Rantaro. "Thank you for letting me join you," he says, voice changing into a knowing lilt. Rantaro can almost see his smile behind his mask. "It was...interesting."

Rantaro squints at Korekiyo and mutters a quick, "Sure," before returning his attention back to Shuichi.   
  
Shuichi remains silent for a couple of seconds, unsure of what to say now that it's just the two of them.    
  
There's so much he wants to ask, but he's afraid of what Rantaro might say.   
  
What if he thought he was disgusting? No, he's the one who made him come so he wouldn't think it was gross, would he? He decides to say something before the silence becomes too awkward.   
  
"Rantaro, thank you for today, I had a lot of fun. I'm sorry if I," He blushes and looks away before continuing, "embarrassed you."   
  
Once Korekiyo had left, Rantaro felt his shoulders relax. He wasn't aware of just how tense the guy made him until he stood up, and stretched, joints aching.   
  
Shuichi's flush made his lips quirk into a smile. "You didn't embarrass me at all," he chimes, holding out a hand for him to take. "Don't worry about it, Shuichi."   
  
Shuichi smiles back while taking his hand and asking. "Are we going now? Or did you want to stay longer?"    
  
He looks down at Rantaro's pants, noticing that he never got off. He's not sure if he should offer to help him, or if that'd be weird, and then he realizes he's been intensely staring at his crotch for the last 30 seconds.    
  
He blushes even more and looks away while apologizing, "Ah- I'm sorry! I was just wondering if you wanted- n-nevermind."   
  
Rantaro chuckles, but he can't shake the uncomfortable feeling that begins to race through his veins. He didn't think that it was that obvious, as he's calmed down quite a bit - which may be in part of Korekiyo - but with Shuichi's incessant staring, it causes him to begin to hyper focus on it.   
  
He tries to will it away. "I'm fine," he reassures him. "I have class soon, but I have time to drop you off at your place, if you want."   
  
Shuichi looks back at Rantaro and is unable to stop himself from smiling again - Rantaro is just so pretty when he laughs. He squeezes his hand while replying. "Yeah, if it's really okay with you."   
  
"Of course it is," he smiles, and holds Shuichi's hand just a bit tighter.


	3. Nights With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaito and Kokichi wind down together.

The short walk back to Kokichi's apartment is pretty uneventful.  
  
Once they finally reach the door, Kokichi fishes his keys out of his jean pocket and opens it with small grunt. It's dark out, so he decides not to worry about anyone seeing them as he opens the door wider to let Kaito in. 

Kaito reaches out and flips on the light switch for them, shrugging his jacket off at the same time. He hangs it on one of the small hooks next to the entrance before taking a look over the state of the apartment.  
  
Books and school supplies litter the living room. It’s as if Kokichi had just walked in and tossed all of his things around haphazardly - he’s not too familiar with Rantaro, but he knows that the guy’s as clean as they come; how he could live with such a messy guy like Kokichi was beyond him.

  
Kokichi locks the door behind them before plopping down on the couch with an exaggerated groan. "Kaito, I'm boooooored!" He stretches out his arms, and then shoots him a bright smile. "Cuddle me!"

“Jeez,” Kaito sighs, but there’s a smile on his lips. “We just got here.” He steps over an open textbook, following Kokichi to the couch. Thankfully, it’s free of clutter, and he pushes Kokichi over to make room for himself.

“You don’t need so much damn space,” he scolds, and then, once Kokichi sits himself on the couch normally, he quickly moves to lay his legs across Kokichi’s lap with a smile.

Kokichi pouts. Not even trying to be gentle, Kokichi immediately falls into Kaito's side - heaving his tiny body right into him, the unapologetic impact causing him to grunt in shock and pain.  
  
"I said I wanted to cuddle." Kokichi looks up at him and pouts while kicking his legs around. "Your arms aren't even around me. You're so mean!" He begins to sniffle dramatically, earning a gentle shove from Kaito.   
  
"Asshole," he groans, but it hardly has any bite. He readjusts, swinging his legs back down to the floor, and opening his arms to let his boyfriend snuggle into.   
  
Kokichi crawls into his lap and nuzzles into him with a contented sigh. He intertwines their fingers with one hand, happy that he won't have to let go so soon this time.

Kaito chuckles. Kokichi's legs are laid on either side of his, effectively keeping him in place as he settles his face in his neck.

Wisps of Kokichi's untamed hair tickle at his face, and he has to blow at a wild piece that insists on poking at his lips. But it's comfortable, even if Kokichi is bending his arm in a strange position just so that he can hold his hand, and he finds that he doesn't want to disturb him as he eases his back into the soft cushions of the couch.

Being alone with him is the only time Kokichi allows them to truly be _with_ each other. He longs for the quiet moments where he can hold him; where he does not have to worry about the image that they have to maintain in order to keep everything under wraps. It was then when he could finally breathe; finally relax from the pressure.

Kaito breathes out a sigh as Kokichi starts to gently kiss his neck. He giggles at how fast his body seems to relax just from his touch, and nuzzles his nose into his neck, stifling his laughter with Kaito’s warmth.  
  
Although he has trouble believing it, he always takes comfort in the fact that Kaito seems to enjoy their private moments together as much as he does.   
  
When Kaito starts playing with his hair, Kokichi feels the overwhelming urge to kiss him. He whines, angling Kaito's chin down with his free hand and tenderly presses their lips together.

Kaito relaxes, and his eyes flash happily. His silent laughter vibrates through his entire body, and he closes his eyes as he tugs Kokichi to him, their lips meeting with Kokichi’s quiet excitement. Kaito doesn’t even have the chance to gather his breath before Kokichi begins to prod his way into his mouth, his teeth biting Kaito’s lips with just enough pressure that it shoots pleasure all the way down his body.

Kokichi smiles into the kiss, licking the back of Kaito's teeth before pulling away to breathe. He gazes fondly at his boyfriend's flushed face and caresses his cheek before resuming the kiss.  
  
Kaito pulls his hand away from Kokichi's grip to run it down his back. His free hand places itself over the one that rests on his cheek, and he curls his fingers into Kokichi's as he tilts his head to kiss him more intimately.   
  
He sighs against his lips; his fingers slide under the loose fabric of Kokichi's shirt.   
  
Kokichi can feel his face growing warmer from the intimacy of it all as he hums into the kiss and shivers from the gentle touches. He uses his unoccupied hand to explore under Kaito's shirt, gently sliding his fingers from his ribs to his hip.

Kaito’s body trembles at the feeling of Kokichi’s cold fingers against his bare skin. He pulls away from the kiss, his breath coming out in short puffs. He takes this time to settle his own hands against his back - he’s never gotten used to how small and frail that Kokichi looked and felt. His hands seemed impossibly big in comparison.

He gazes at Kokichi’s face; notices the small smile that tugs his lips upwards. He breathes out a laugh, and his head falls forward until his forehead bumps gently into his.

“Did you,” he starts, “Want to… y’know...”

Kokichi remains silent for a moment as he catches his breath and looks into Kaito's eyes. He can't help but feel guilty as he returns his gaze. Kaito looks at him the same way he looks at the stars - like he's something beautiful and important.

Something unpleasant begins to churn in his gut.

It feels wrong.

It makes him feel like he's deceiving him.

It’s as if he is seeing everything he knows he doesn't deserve.  
  
Kokichi snaps out of his thoughts when he remembers that Kaito asked him a question. He moves his hand from Kaito's cheek to his hair and whispers, with much more honesty than he would prefer. "No, right now... I just want you to touch me, if that's all right."   
  
Kaito raises his eyebrows in surprise. Kokichi rarely ever turned down sex - he was usually the one to initiate it, in fact. So when he softly whispers that all he wants is to be touched, it leaves his heart to flutter at his boyfriends' words.   
  
He hums happily. He could get used to this behavior.   
  
Kaito's surprised expression is the perfect opportunity for Kokichi to resume acting in a way he's more comfortable with. He pouts at him and huffs, breaking eye contact to portray his mock annoyance.   
  
"Are you just gonna keep staring at me with that stupid expression or are you going to do what I asked?"

Kaito’s lips curl into a smirk, and then a grin when an idea pops into his mind. He gently pulls his hands just far enough off of Kokichi’s back, until they just barely brush against his skin. Kokichi shivers in response.

“I dunno,” he replies, holding back a laugh when he sees how Kokichi’s pout only deepens.

His fingers curl at his sides a bit. He’s glad that he keeps his fingernails short - surely, if they were any longer, Kokichi would be chattering away with complaints by now.

“What kind of touching did you mean? Something like...” he digs his hands into his sides playfully. “This?”

Kokichi gasps loudly. His body quivers in reaction to Kaito’s playful fingers, and it takes everything he has to just try to remain calm; to keep up his act. But it quickly becomes too much - he’s unable to stop himself from barking out a laugh from Kaito's tickling. "K-Kaito, what're you-! S-stop it!"

The laughter that bubbles out of Kokichi’s throat only makes Kaito’s grin wider. “What’s wrong, ‘kichi?” He asks, only getting more aggressive with his tickling.

He starts to move his hands from his hips to the sides of his chest, arms nearly burying themselves inside Kokichi’s shirt in the process.

Kokichi curls up and tries to cover his giggling with his hand while attempting to squirm away from Kaito's touches. His words come out in-between laughter, muffled by his hand.

"S-Slow down f-for a second...!"  
  
Kaito stills his fingers, the pleading from Kokichi finally moving him to show mercy. His breathes come out as pants, the rush of adrenaline from hearing his boyfriend laugh so freely and genuinely fading out. 

Kokichi heaves out a breath. He lays under him on the couch, his hair splayed beneath him on the cushions.  
  
Kaito looms over his small body, still gazing at him with that stupid, genuine look on his face; the one that Kokichi despises and adores. When he removes his hand from his mouth he realizes that he's still smiling, too.

Kokichi stares up at him with crinkling eyes. Carefully, Kaito reaches down to brush his bangs away from his face, a small smile on his lips. Words could not describe how much he loved seeing Kokichi like this - his true feelings being conveyed so readily; the happiness that emanates off of his smiles.  
  
Kokichi reaches up to cradle his boyfriend's face in his hands, using one to tug on his stupid goatee, his fond tone betraying his words.   
  
"You know," he starts, not even trying to hide the snicker in his voice. "You should really shave this thing, it's ugly and I hate it."   
  
Kaito chuckles. "C'mon," he says, before leaning down to press a chaste kiss to his lips. "It's fashionable."   
  
Kokichi drapes his arms behind Kaito's neck, giving himself a better angle to receive more kisses before retorting playfully. "Fashionable to who?"   
  
"Hmm," Kaito hums, kissing the corner of his lips before pulling himself off of him, holding a hand out to help him up after.   
  
Once they're both up, Kaito takes Kokichi's hand in his and intertwine their fingers. "I dunno. Maybe the same people who made that scarf you always wear?"   
  
Kokichi rolls his eyes at that. “That doesn’t even make any sense,” he says, and then maneuvers himself to get into a more comfortable position where he could still be close to his warm boyfriend.

In an instant, Kokichi’s whole mood appears to change. He turns and looks at Kaito with fake tears in his eyes before continuing, his voice coming out as a childish whine.

"Why'd you move so far away? You promised to touch me but all you've done is tease me!"

He plops himself unceremoniously into Kaito's lap, leaning his body back until he was fully against his chest. Kaito had to maneuver them a bit to get comfortable - he ends up with his arms wrapped around him, one clutching at his hand, and the other slides under his shirt. His fingers run over the same areas that he had relentlessly attacked earlier.  
  
"Sorry," he chuckles, and sets his chin on the top of Kokichi's head. "How's this?"   
  
Kokichi can't stop himself from gasping at the sudden, gentle touch. Now that the excitement from earlier has died down, he's aware of how vulnerable he's allowing himself to be in this moment. He decides to keep letting himself be a little vulnerable, just for now.   
  
"It's good," he starts, voice barely above a whisper as he starts to play with strands of his own hair out of nervous habit. "just keep doing that."

“Okay,” Kaito murmurs, continuing just as he was told. He leans down and kisses Kokichi’s hair before pressing the round of his cheek on the top of his head, his neck straining just a bit. He ignores it, opting to enjoy.

Silence. Kaito can hear himself breathe - when he looks closely, he sees bits of Kokichi’s hair sway about with every exhale. Intrigued, he blows at it, and watches as it moves about with a chuckle.

Kokichi lets out a shaky exhale when Kaito blows on his hair. He can feel his heart beating out of control and becomes aware of the fact that Kaito probably can, too.  
  
Usually this sort of closeness would scare him, but he is just enjoying himself right now too much to care.   
  
He closes his eyes - deciding he'll deal with the consequences later, finally allows himself to fully relax.

With Kokichi's body growing ever more still as they remain cuddled together, Kaito lies his head on the back of the couch.   
  
He closes his eyes. He can still hear Kokichi breathe - his boyfriend sighs a little bit as he gently turns the side of his face into Kaito's shirt.

The low thrum of the air conditioner kicks in, beginning to blow cool air into the room. He listens as loud footsteps appear to thunder down the hall outside of the apartments front door.  
  
With these in the background, his mind begins to wander.   
  
He can't help but feel… a little strange about their current situation. He cares for his boyfriend; he loves to be able to spend quiet moments like this with him, especially because they're as rare as they come, and he wouldn't trade it for anything. He knows that Kokichi has a hard time relaxing. He's always alert, careful to not let anyone notice his true feelings… but he's able to let his guard down with him, even if it is only on occasion, and he couldn't feel prouder.   
  
But then are the times… where he can't. He thinks back to earlier that day - and then to many times before then.   
  
He doesn't notice the frown that begins to tug at his lips. "'kichi," he starts, gently, unsure if the other had fallen asleep or not. "Can I ask you something?"

Kokichi’s whole body tenses when Kaito speaks - his words causing him to internally panic. He didn't know what Kaito was going to ask, he was just always expecting the worst.  
  
Afraid he won't be able to get into his confident persona as well as usual, he thinks of a distraction as quickly as possible, choosing the first one that comes to his mind.   
  
"Kaito," he starts, trying to change the subject as he trails his fingers up his boyfriend's thigh, making no attempt to look at him, "why don't we do something more fun than asking stupid questions?"   
  
He hopes Kaito can't see his face from this angle, if he could he'd be able to tell how scared he was.

Kaito inhales sharply at the touch with surprise, but he isn't fooled by Kokichi's attempt to distract him. He slides his hand out of Kokichi's shirt and rests it on his traveling fingers, trapping them in place.  
  
"You don't need to do that," he says, voice hushed to a whisper. "Talking isn't scary, Kokichi."

"You don't-" Kokichi lashes out, anger surging through his veins in a sudden rush. But it stills when he sees Kaito’s face fall. He immediately pauses, not even sure of what he was trying to say. He thinks about telling Kaito that of course _he_ wouldn't be afraid of talking - he wasn't afraid of anything.

Not anything real, at least.

He decides against it.  
  
He remains silent for a moment and focuses on slowing down his own breathing to calm down, then lets himself open up to Kaito before he has the chance to stop himself.   
  
"Ok, we can talk," he whispers back in a shaky voice, clutching Kaito's thigh where his hand is trapped in an attempt to feel more secure.

Kaito winces when he feels Kokichi's grip tighten. He moves his hand off of his for a moment to slide it underneath, and holds it tenderly in an attempt to get him to relax.  
  
He hesitates - he isn't too sure how to open the conversation in a way where Kokichi wouldn't be affronted. He knows that certain topics are delicate for him, and he has a hard time opening up, but he doesn't - and won't - ask for much.   
  
"I dunno..." he starts, uncertainty creeping into his voice as he attempts to start the conversation. He frowns. It's not like him to not be sure of himself; he finds that he feels this way a lot with Kokichi.   
  
Kaito clears his throat to try to get himself back on track. "I'm just confused. I don't know why you still… treat Shuichi the way you do. He's not a confident guy, you know?"

Kokichi relaxes a little when Kaito holds his hand, and responds as honestly as he's capable of. "What's the point of delaying the inevitable?" He almost adds an explanation - almost tells him how he knows he'll be disliked regardless of his actions - like always, he doesn't.  
  
"I'm just trying to make things more fun for both of us." he adds. He doesn't elaborate - he's sure Kaito understands, he almost always does.   
  
Kokichi looks down at their joined hands - despite how difficult he's being, Kaito's still going out of his way to make him feel more comfortable. 

Kaito sighs. He wasn't sure exactly what he was expecting by asking such a question - he had tried to talk to Kokichi about this subject before, but he had never gotten the outcome that he wanted. What makes it different now?   
  
His thoughts echo around his mind as the silence grows. The disappointment only seems to swell with every passing second. His eyes screw shut as he tries to push it back - I'll talk again later, he thinks. He can't be stubborn forever.

  
While he can't see Kaito's expression, he can tell by his lack of response that he's disappointed him with his vague, rude answer. As the silence grows longer, the guilt of his own actions start to eat away at him.   
  
The guilt's always been there, judging him for everything he has and hasn't done, so he's usually good at ignoring it. Right now though, it's consuming him, and he can't disregard it.   
  
Finally, he clutches his boyfriend's hand tighter and gives him something closer to a genuine reply. "I'll... I'll try harder."   
Kaito's eyes open as Kokichi's tiny grasp suddenly tightens.   
  
His mouth falls open. "Really?" He nearly shouts. A grin pops back on his face. "Promise?"   
  
Kokichi winces when Kaito shouts right next to his ear, then turns around to glare at him in annoyance. "Ugh, fine, I promise," he sighs, "But only because you're being so annoying about it."   
  
Laughter bubbles out of Kaito's throat. He wraps his arms around Kokichi and hugs him tightly to his chest, too absorbed in his thoughts to be gentle.   
  
"Shuichi's going to be so happy," he says, even though the picture that forms in his mind is something of a very confused boy - but he presses on. "Oh, and if you treat him well, then maybe Maki Roll will warm up to you too!"   
  
He leans back down and kisses Kokichi's head again - and then once more, because the indignant noise that his boyfriend makes is cute, and because the pride that swells in his chest is too much.   
  
Kokichi laughs as he struggles to get away from Kaito's grip with an exaggerated whine. "Stooooop! Don't talk about her while you're kissing me!"   
  
Kaito relents, letting Kokichi go completely, but not before kissing him slyly on the neck. Once Kokichi pulls himself away and turns to face him, Kaito gives him a lopsided grin, eyebrows raised.   
  
"Then why don't you come over here and shut me up?"   
  
Kokichi smirks back at him and kisses him hard, not even giving him a chance to react before he urges his mouth open with his tongue.   
  
He reaches his hands under Kaito's shirt - one hand gently rubs his side while the other gropes his chest.   
  
Kaito tries to wipe the smile off of his face as Kokichi kisses him - it proves to be difficult, and he pulls away soon after Kokichi licks at his mouth.   
  
He huffs, regaining his breath for a moment as he grabs Kokichi's hips. "You're always so eager," he comments.   
  
"You're the one who told me to shut you up!" Kokichi pouts, his hands moving eagerly to unzip Kaito's fly.   
  
He looks from Kaito's pants to his face with a glare when he notices that he's not hard at all. "You're so mean! You're not even a little horny?"   
  
Kaito leans forward, clumsily pressing a kiss to his boyfriends cheek to ease the harsh glare on his face. "Sorry," he mumbles, kissing him again before sliding off of his place on the couch.   
  
He kneels down in front of Kokichi, pushing his legs apart while looking up at him. His palms glide over the fabric of his pants, sliding up from his knees to his inner thighs.   
  
"Let me just take care of you."   
  
Kokichi, caught off guard, can't stop the needy noise that escapes his throat as his legs involuntarily spread wider. He instantly covers his face with his hands out of embarrassment and nods his consent.   
  
Kaito feels a tug at his chest when Kokichi covers his face. Immediately, he leans forward, taking his hands in his and pulling them down so that his face is no longer obscured, and he can see the hot blush that painted his cheeks a soft pink.   
  
"It's okay," he says, looking directly at him. "You don't need to hide your face from me."   
  
Kaito adores the way that his boyfriend's face seems to turn darker at his words, but there's something else there that tickles right under his skin. Something that he cannot yet reach.   
  
He reaches forward to unbutton Kokichi's pants, tugging them down gently, all the while ignoring the thoughts that drift through his mind.   
  
If only they didn't need to hide anything at all.

* * *

Rantaro pushes the front door open, a sigh heavy on his lips. The day had been too tiring - between classes, work, and his… date with Shuichi, he had practically no time to truly rest.  
  
He really just wanted to take a shower and go to bed.   
  
"Kokichi," he calls, throwing his bag down next to the door (he'll pick it up later). Kicking off his shoes, he continues. "You here?"   
  
He waits for a moment for a response. When there isn't one, he groans, and trudges over to the light switch.   
  
"Always tell him to turn these off," he grumbles. "Does he listen? No."   
  
He flicks the lights off, and spins around, the slick wood floor allowing him to turn easily with just his socks. He's about to go straight to his room when his eyes catch on the couch.   
  
There, his roommate lay curled up on top of Momota.   
  
He pauses - both of them are sound asleep. He isn’t sure how he didn't notice before, but the light snoring coming from Momota is rather prominent in the quiet apartment. What's worse, he's doing it with his mouth open. He can see some saliva on the corner of his lips.   
  
Making a face, he looks at Kokichi instead, and his breath catches.   
  
He's never seen him look so peaceful in sleep before.   
  
His best friend laid with half of his face visible. His nose was pressed against Momota's chest in a way that could not have been comfortable, yet he slept with a smile curving against his cheeks, nearly invisible against the darkness of the apartment.   
  
Rantaro couldn't help the smile that pulled on his face. He turns back around, careful to remain quiet, and tiptoes to his room.   
  
_Just this once_ , he thinks, closing the door. _I'll let it slide._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! We had a question for you guys - we didn't plan for the Rantaro/Shuichi/Korekiyo subplot to become...so much. So we'd like to to know if we should stop adding it to this fic and make a new fic for it (and put that and this fic under a series). So comment below and let us know! And tell us what you think about this chapter while you're at it. :)
> 
> Don't forget to follow my twitter @lynxhime and my tumblr kurtabastard.tumblr.com


	4. ???? & information

Kaito shifts his weight from foot to foot; gripping his textbooks against his chest as he stares down the classroom door. He can barely hear the professor on the other side drone on - he squints, lips curling into a frown as if that could speed up the process.   
  
"They almost done?" A voice chirps up next to him. He turns, and smiles as Kaede leans against the wall, huffing a bit as she adjusts her backpack straps. "Their professor always takes forever."    
  
"Tell me about it." Kaito replies. He glares again at the door - he can no longer hear the professor on the other side. He lets himself ease a bit; that usually meant that people were soon to be coming out of the classroom.   
  
Sure enough, the door suddenly swings open.

Kaito breathes out a sigh of relief when he spots Shuichi and Maki. He waits on the other side of the door for a moment, shifting uncomfortably as he allows other people to pass through before he finally goes himself. Kaede is quick to greet him when he comes into step with them, wearing a smile as if it were her most valuable accessory, before poking her head into the classroom to call out for Maki.

"I'm sorry,” Shuichi apologizes. “Class was so long that I forgot you guys were waiting for us."

Kaito turns his attention down to Shuichi as Kaede leaves. “It’s okay,” he says, patting Shuichi’s shoulder enthusiastically, much to the others embarrassment. He laughs. “You look uncomfortable. Everything okay?”

"Y-yeah, of course." Shuichi starts, unable to look Kaito in the eyes as a light blush dusts his cheeks. "I guess I'm just a little tired."    
  
He is tired, but he's also embarrassed about his recent encounter with Rantaro - he can't stop thinking about it. He doesn't regret any of it, but it's still something new to him.   
  
Kaito bumps into Shuichi playfully. "We can go get something to energize you, then," he says, and then digs his hand into his back pocket. Pulling out his wallet, he opens it and peers inside - he sighs in relief as he sees that he does, in fact, have money. "I'll pay. I know you're a little tight on money."   
  
Just as he pockets his wallet, Kaede comes, pulling Maki by the arm behind her. "Sorry," she says, throwing them an apologetic smile. "Maki's coming. Let's go!"   
  
Shuichi knows that Kaito won't let him turn down his offer, so he relents. They end up at a cafe on campus - Shuichi, remembering the hot chocolate incident, hopes Kaito will order for him.   
  
Out of embarrassment, he hasn't come to a cafe since that time. He glances over at where Maki and Kaede are standing and realizes he has nothing to worry about, he's just here with his friends - then he sees who works here, and he immediately begins to feel sweat pool on his skin.

Kaito hands Shuichi a wad of cash. “Get whatever you want,” he says, eyes following Maki and Kaede as the latter steers them towards a table to wait. “I don’t need anything.” He turns back to face Shuichi just as he sticks his wallet back into his pocket. “I’m going to go sit with Kaede and Maki Roll over there.” 

Shuichi tries to stop Kaito from leaving him, but by the time he opens his mouth he's already sitting at the table. He tries to avoid eye contact with the barista and walk over to the table but he's not fast enough, and he hears a familiar voice call his name.   
  
"Shuichi." Korekiyo's voice calls out, past the bustling of the campus café and whirring of the coffee machines. He wipes his hands of chocolate syrup, eyeing him carefully before noticing the group of people nearby. “A hot chocolate?” He nods behind him to another worker, helping himself to the money in Shuichi’s hands as he punches in the order.   
  
Handing him back his change, Korekiyo walks to the pick-up site and leans over the counter, just enough for Shuichi to have to acknowledge him. "You weren't planning on running away without saying hello, were you?"   
  
Shuichi blushes and forces himself to make eye contact with Korekiyo. "I - uhm, I was just... after last time... I thought..." He stutters out awkwardly, breaking eye contact. He's not sure what he wants to say, too much had happened last time they saw each other.   
  
"Thought what?" He questions. His fingers drum lightly over the countertop as he continues to stare down Shuichi.   
  
Shuichi chokes on his own tongue, his eyes going wide in panic. "I...I thought maybe you wouldn't want to talk to me anymore?" He cringes as soon as the words leave his mouth.   
  
An eyebrow quirks up in a bit of surprise at Shuichi's statement - however, if Korekiyo is rattled at all by it, he doesn't show it any more than that as leans back, removing himself from the counter. "You'd think that I wouldn't want to talk to you over such a thing," he thinks. "Interesting...but I can assure you that that's not the case."   
  
"You're not... embarrassed by me?" Shuichi starts, tucking his hair behind his ear out of habit and looking back into Kiyo's eyes.   
  
Upon seeing Shuichi's shy gaze, Korekiyo's heavy stare manages to soften. "No. Of course not." His eyes blink past Shuichi, and then he reaches over to grab a coffee sleeve, pulling his pen out of pocket quickly. With large, swirling scroll, he scrawls his number down before gently taking Shuichi's cup out of his hand and sliding it on.   
  
"I don't want to take up too much of your time," he says, handing his cup back to him. "You may reach me whenever you'd like...you're pretty interesting, Shuichi. I'd like to learn more about you."   
  
Shuichi nods, his face blushing brightly, and writes his own number on a napkin before responding with a smile. "O-ok, I will. You can text me anytime, too." He then hears Kaito call him and goes to join his friends at the table.   
  
Korekiyo takes the napkin from Shuichi's hand gently before he runs off.   
  
When Shuichi makes it back to his table, Kaito kicks out the seat next to him. Shuichi's red face does not escape him as he sits down. "Bro," he says, leaning his weight on the table. "You're acting weird today. You sure you're okay?"   
  
Before Shuichi even has a chance to answer, Kaede gasps. "Is that a number?!"   
  
Shuichi reflexively covers the number with his hand and pulls his drink closer. He looks at Kaede's expectant face and pauses before answering. "Yeah, it is."   
  
Kaede pouts as Shuichi attempts to close the conversation before opening it. She sends a glance in Kaito's direction, who just shrugs in response before a swift kick hits him right in the shin. He jumps in his seat, gaping at Kaede while she continues to glare at him expectantly.   
  
He clears his throat. "Who's it from," he grits out, sending a glare back in Kaede's direction.   
  
Shuichi bites his lip in thought then stutters, "Korekiyo."   
  
Kaito's eyes immediately dart past Shuichi when he utters that name - he hadn't even realized that Korekiyo was here. Sure enough, he spots him behind the counter, scrawling names onto cups as he takes the orders of a larger group of students.   
  
His thoughts whir back to when he had spied on Shuichi the other day. His face flushes as he remembers the scene that him and Kokichi had accidentally stumbled upon.    
  
"Korekiyo," Kaede repeats, momentarily taking Kaito away from his storming thoughts. Her eyes light up as she leans across the table, staring intently at Shuichi. "That reminds me! I was wondering if anything was going on between you two. You did seem to have a good time at Rantaro's party the other day."   
  
Shuichi covers his face with his hands out of embarrassment - embarrassment from the mention of the closet and Rantaro. He's not sure how to respond without sounding like a perverted freak.   
  
He lowers his hands and answers her question, unable to make eye contact.   
  
"Uh, not-not really? I haven’t seen him since the party.”   
  
A playful glint sparkles in Kaede's eyes at the information. "So you invited him to go with you two," she says, pursing her lips in thought. "What kind of things did you do together?"   
  
Kaito nearly falls out of his chair as he suddenly gets up - he tries to calm the obviously stricken look on his face as he greets the stares of everyone at the table with his outburst. "We should get going back to the dorm," he suggests, looking to Kaede and nodding.    
  
Kaede stares back quizzically. "I guess," she says, pulling herself up from her chair. "C'mon, Maki."   
  
Maki glances between Shuichi's relieved expression and Kaito's nervous one before following Kaede. She knows something must've happened with Shuichi, something that Kaito knows about - she doesn't bother asking.   
  
Kaito wearily heads off, practically running away from the rest of the group. However, Kaede is quick to catch up, a strange look on her face. "Hang on, Kaito," she sighs, and then looks back to Maki and Shuichi. "What's up with you guys?"   
  
Kaito opens his mouth, but Maki interrupts with a glare before he has the chance to respond. "Talk later, let's just get back to the dorm."   
  
Kaede looks like she wants to protest, but Maki is already off. Kaito watches with confusion as the she frowns and starts after her, only prompted to keep walking when he sees Shuichi awkwardly edge past him.    
  
There's some tension within the group, with Maki's impatience and Kaede's obvious frustration. Shuichi looks like he'd rather jump into his bed as soon as they get into the dorm. Kaito doesn't find himself disagreeing with the idea...but he feels somewhat responsible for the discord.   
  
Thankfully, their dorm hall was close enough to the café that they made it in almost no time at all. Kaito unlocks the door quickly, stepping aside to let everyone in before him. The place is a bit of a mess, but he expertly kicks some laundry to the side, not bothering to be delicate about it.   
  
"Sorry, forgot to clean," he says. "The couch is clean though, you guys can sit."   
  
Kaede looks warily at the couch, but seems to be pleased when she realizes that Kaito was right. She sits down, folding her hands on her lap and then looks expectantly at Shuichi and Kaito. "So...are you going to tell me what happened with you guys at the party?"   
  
"Uhm," Shuichi starts and then doesn't finish, choosing instead to look at the pile of dirty laundry. He thinks about offering to do the laundry as an excuse to leave, but knows the chance of all three of his friends letting him off that easily is next to zero.   
  
"Me and Kaito?" He tries to redirect the question, aware of the fact that it won't work but hoping maybe he'll get lucky and die of unknown causes in the few seconds it will buy him.   
  
Kaito's eyes widen as Shuichi subtly attempts to derail the conversation off of him. Normally, he would be fine with helping him out, but there's too much at stake. His promise to Kokichi is something that he doesn't dare to break - if each instance were a fracture, then surely it would eventually break from the pressure.   
  
Regret weighing on his conscious, Kaito stares at the floor. "I saw Shuichi with Rantaro and Korekiyo the other day."   
  
Shuichi chokes on his own spit, his voice coming out as an unidentifiable sound as he looks at Kaito with an expression of pure betrayal. He wished for death, and he got it - but it wasn't quick.    
  
He doesn't even have the time to fully process Kaito's decision to throw him under the bus because now all eyes are on him - he's all out of excuses and he has to admit the truth.    
  
Just before his attempt to respond, he realizes something suspicious about Kaito's words.  _ How could he have seen us? _ He thinks, then pushes the thought aside, deciding he'll question him later.   
  
_ Kaito had betrayed him, but he must've had a good reason, right? _ With this thought in mind, Shuichi decides to play along. Kaito is his best friend, after all.   
  
He shoots Kaito one last pathetic look before finally stuttering out, "Y-yeah...we all met up for coffee."

Kaito’s eyes dart down to Shuichi. If the guilt from before wasn’t bad, it definitely is now - Shuichi determinedly looked straight at Kaede, but he didn’t miss the slight wobble of his lip as he did so. He had covered for him so easily...and while he did feel horrible about it, there was some tug of pride that pulled in his chest. He was  _ proud  _ he had been able to out himself just for him - and it was selfish, but it was a step in the right direction.

How could he just push him down when he was working so hard for him?

Kaito sits himself down on the armrest of the couch, looking straight at the floor.

Kaede sounds shocked as she speaks. “You went out to coffee with both of them?” She asks. “That’s...strange.”

Shuichi freezes up at her words. He remembers how Kaito isn't aware of them trying to set him up with Kokichi so has to form his story around the lies he's already told, hoping Kaede will understand and play along.   
  
"After I brought you the tampons you'd asked for, I met up with Rantaro and on the way to the cafe we ran into Korekiyo and invited him to join us."   
  
Kaede's face flushes. "I see," she says, her voice no indication of the glare that she throws at Shuichi. Maki shifts next to her, clearly uninterested in their conversation, and she seems to huff something under her breath. Trying to pull together her obvious discomfort at Shuichi's cover-up, she leans forward. "Are you interested in Amami-kun or Shinguji-kun, Shuichi?"   
  
Shuichi can feel his face flushing at Kaede's question and her glare does make him feel guilty, but he doesn't let that deter him. "We're just friends, I don't think it's that weird to get coffee with friends."   
  
Kaede's eyes widen for a moment. They stare at each other, as Kaede tries to probe a reaction out of him with her eyes. "That's true," she starts carefully. "But it's surprising to me that Amami-kun would share you with another person."   
  
"I told you it's not like that!" Shuichi says embarrassingly loud, drawing any attention that wasn't already on him to himself. He's thankful he chose to wear a jacket with a hood today as he pulls it over his head in an attempt to hide himself.    
  
"We're just... friends." His voice is so quiet it wouldn't be audible if not for the complete silence of the room.   
  
Everyone is quiet for a moment as Shuichi withdraws himself into his jacket. Eventually, Kaito settles his hand on Shuichi's shoulder. Kaede looks like she wants to do the same, but apprehension stops her as she shifts again.    
  
"Sorry, Shuichi," she says, voice quiet as she tries to peer at his face from under his hood. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."   
  
Before Shuichi has the chance to reply, Maki cuts in, glaring daggers directly at Kaito. "Kaito, what did you do with Ouma in the closet?"   
  
Kaito immediately seizes at Maki's words. His fingers dig into Shuichi's jacket, and he avoids looking directly to her, because he can already feel how sharp her gaze is.   
  
Kaede butts in before he even thinks of a defense for himself. "Maki," she says, sounding slightly scandalized. A deep frown sets into the curve of her mouth as she turns to glare back at her. "Can you read the mood?"    
  
Maki's head shifts to Kaede. Finally finding the courage to look up, realization begins to settles itself in Kaito’s chest as Maki's eyes narrow at her.   
  
"It's fine," he cuts in, slowly lowering his hand from Shuichi. Maki whips her head back at him, and if he felt any relief from his frustration at Kaede dissipating, it’s lost from the icy feeling that begins to lock his muscles. "I was just drunk! And Ouma...you know how he is."   
  
"I don't know how he is." She starts, continuing to stare straight at Kaito as she speaks. "Are you saying you... did things with him?" Her tone is cold as Kaede and Shuichi glance between her and Kaito uncomfortably.   
  
"What- No!" Kaito's voice rises into an indignant shout. Maki barely blinks at him. "He just- you know, he likes to mess with people!"   
  
"So you did nothing in the closet?"   
  
Kaito evens out his breathing as he maintains eye contact with Maki. She's unrelenting, something akin to fury swirling in her eyes as she holds up her end. His entire body feels heavy under the weight of her gaze.   
  
Unable to look at her any longer, his eyes dart away. "All he did was get really close...that's it."   
  
Maki squints at him, her glare becoming more intense for a few seconds before she speaks again. "Fine." She says, sitting down and finally removing her gaze from Kaito.   
  
Despite Maki pulling back, the tension in the room is stifling. Kaede chews on her lip, hands wringing together before Kaito feels her eyes settle on him, as if asking him to do something. Her gaze is heavy as she tries to place the responsibility on him - he deserves it, he knows, but his heart is still battering awkwardly in his chest.    
  
Even so, he pushes himself up. "Let's get that movie going," he says, turning back and walking behind the couch to shuffle through all of their discs. Shuichi finally seems to relax, turning his head to examine Kaito as he tries to find something to put in.    
  
The relief in Kaede's voice is palpable as she speaks up. "I'll help you look."   
  
Kaito grunts as he takes out a bunch of discs and sets them beside him. Kaede is quick to sit next to him and she takes the stack and shuffles through it, humming at the same time. It's strained, he knows, but it's hard not to be.   
  
"What do you want to watch, Shuichi, Maki?" She asks. Kaito looks over and sees that she's dividing their movie collection into groups. "I'd rather stay away from anything stressful, if that's okay."   
  
He's inclined to agree, but before he can voice it, his phone begins to buzz incessantly in his pocket. He takes it out quickly, and his eyes widen when he sees who it's from.   
  
"I gotta take this," he mutters, getting up and going toward the door. "I'll be right back!"   
  
Once he's outside, he accepts the call. "What's up?"   
  
Ouma's voice comes out slightly muffled through the shitty speaker of his phone.   
  
"Nothing! I called just in case you guys were at a crucial point in a movie, because I knew you'd answer and have to pause it to leave the room and talk to me." He pauses for a couple seconds before continuing.   
  
"I just thought it'd be entertaining to ruin any fun you were having."   
  
Kaito rubs his free hand across his face. "Look, 'kichi, I'm really not in the mood for your nonsense right now. Can you just tell me what you want?"   
  
Kokichi's voice is so quiet Kaito almost doesn't hear him when he responds.   
  
"I wanted to hear your voice."   
  
Kaito curses under his breath. Leaning back against the wall, he continues, much softer than before. "Is something wrong?"   
  
"Nothing's wrong I just wanted to talk to you, ok?"   
  
He looks at the floor. He had snapped at Kokichi without even considering his feelings - he rubs at his neck as if that could erase his guilt.   
  
"Sorry," he mumbles. "I'm having kind of a bad day."   
  
"Are you okay?" The answer comes much quicker than he was expecting.   
  
It takes a moment for Kaito to respond. He looks back at the door - it remains closed, and there's no sign of anyone opening it when he tries to listen closely.   
  
"Maki just got on my case about the party...and Shuichi was pretty upset about...other things. I took care of it, though."   
  
"Maki needs to learn to mind her own business. You're allowed to keep secrets."   
  
Kaito bites at the inside of his cheek. Kokichi remains quiet on the line - he finds that he's grateful for it as he thinks back about how upset and strange his friends had acted when he lied to them. He knew that they could tell that something was wrong, and the idea that he was betraying them dug itself into his mind.   
  
Suddenly, there's a loud noise from the other end of the call. "Is something going on?"   
  
"Everything's fine! Rantaro just broke something on 'accident.'"   
  
Kaito hums. There's some more noise on Kokichi's end, but neither of them comment on it, Kaito still thinking back on Maki's hard persistence. He hated it, the way that she glared at him. He can tell that she knows something's wrong, but with every lie he tells, the more he pushes her away and back into her reclusive, self-loathing state. It hurts to see her regress, but it's even worse knowing that it's his fault.   
  
He nearly jumps when Kokichi snaps him out of his thoughts.   
  
"I want to go on a date, a real one." Kokichi starts abruptly. "I want look at the stars with you, just you, romantically." He says the words so awkwardly Kaito can practically feel him cringing at his own word choice through the phone.   
  
Kaito's body stills as Kokichi finishes. The words are buzzing around in his head, repeating endlessly as if Kokichi was still going on about it.   
  
After a moment, a laugh bubbles out of his throat, and he has to cover his mouth to prevent his friends inside from hearing him. "Really?" Kaito asks, smiling against his hand as the back of his head bumps against the wall. "You really do? You're not just saying that, right?"   
  
"I wouldn't lie about this. I think it'll nice to get away from everything, and if we drive somewhere we won't have to worry about anyone seeing."   
  
Kaito's voice comes out quiet. "Yeah," he says, lowering his hand and stuffing it into his pocket.    
  
Him and Kokichi, alone together for even just a night - the thought alone made him beam goofily at the cracked ceiling.   
  
"I'd like that."   
  
"Hey Kaito," Kokichi says, stifling his laughter before continuing, voice lowering to a sultry purr. "What kinds of things are you going to do to me under the stars?"   
  
Face growing inexplicably warm, Kaito tuts under his breath, eyes growing wide as he whips his head back to the door.   
  
Still shut. Good.   
  
"Hey, ask me something like that later," he replies, intent on turning the conversation back around. He couldn't deal with Kokichi's teasing now, no matter how much he was joking. "I'm gonna go back in. Thanks, 'kichi."   
  
"Wait, don't hang up yet, I'll stop teasing you."   
  
Kaito stops right as he's turning back to the door. "What's up?"   
  
There's a long pause before Kokichi responds. "I...” Kokichi starts, but there’s a long pause before he chirps, “nevermind! I forgot what I was going to say."

Kaito feels his brows scrunch together at Kokichi’s redirection. He hadn’t heard the other hesitate so much since before they had gotten together, and it makes him uncomfortable to think of what it was that he was going to say before he changed his mind.

He stuffs his hand into his pants pocket, thinking. He didn’t seem like he wanted to explain, though, as the other line remained quiet even through his own silence. If he asked, would he get mad? He wasn’t sure if he wanted to see. Sometimes, trying to get an answer out of Kokichi was so overwhelmingly difficult that it -

He shakes his head. It’s better not to think of it like that.

“Okay. I’ll talk to you later, all right?” He waits until he hears Kokichi chirp back his confirmation before ending the call, replacing his hand in his pocket with his phone as he turned back to the door.

He stares at the knob. Kokichi is right, as rough as he was - Maki didn’t need to press him so violently for answers. It was something that she had seemed to get better about in the past, but is now slowly unraveling her hard work right in front of him. And Shuichi - while he couldn’t do it in person, he needed to find a way to thank him for covering for him so easily before. Throwing him under the bus made him feel horrible, but if it was to protect one of the people that he cared about the most, then...

He isn’t sure how to try to put the pieces back together in their now strained relationship, but he can damn well try.

Kaito grabs the knob of the door and turns it slowly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we died writing this cus there was barely any oumota interaction rip


	5. Take Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaede continues her attempts to set up Kaito and Kokichi.

"Rantaaaro," Kokichi whines, reaching across the other from his own position on the couch to grab another handful of chips. "Let's do something else, I'm booooored!"   
  
They've been sitting on the couch together flipping through channels for only about an hour, but to Kokichi it feels like years. Every channel seems to be nothing but ads - and not even the good kind. No, these were the kind of ads that made him feel like he had no brain cells left to lose.

The only reason he’d even decided to join Rantaro in this monotonous activity is because he told him he couldn’t have any of the chips otherwise - _and he wanted those chips._   
  
All the while, Rantaro merely continued clicking through the channels. Playing a game where you had to force yourself to watch every eighth channel that popped up was just too difficult. They were on an adventure - a very boring one, at that, and Rantaro finally stopped his search, only halfway through the required number. A familiar tune to a children's TV show begins to play, causing Rantaro to smile back at his friend who is currently stuffing as many chips as he can into his mouth.  
  
"You’re a fan of this show, right," He starts, brushing a piece of his hair behind his ear as he turns his body to face his roommate. "What is it called? Little Ei-"  
  
Kokichi jumps up off the couch with a shout, causing the chips to spill all over the floor as he snatches the remote out of Rantaro's hand and turns off the TV with an aggressive punch to the power button.

  
"GOD DAMMIT RANTARO! Now the theme song is already stuck in my head! Why do you hate me?!"   
  
He's aware of how ridiculous he looks, standing in the living room in his ugly clown underwear covered in chip crumbs, screaming about some shitty children's show, but in this moment he doesn't care.   
  
Barely able to hold in his amusement, Rantaro hums, taking in the now crumb-covered couch and floor. He hooks his arm around the backside of the couch and looks to Kokichi. "I'm not cleaning that up, you know."   
  
"Just get the roomba to clean it or something." Kokichi adds halfheartedly, dusting crumbs off of himself and adding to the mess on the floor. "Or just leave it, maybe we'll get some free rats out of this."    
  
Finding himself too lazy to move back to the couch, he decides to sit down on the dirty floor. Pulling his knees up to his chest, he sighs dramatically while squishing his cheeks in his hands. "Even getting the plague would be more fun than this."

With a sigh, Rantaro walks over to where Kokichi sat himself, stepping around the mess to nudge him with his leg. “My apologies for giving you my presence instead of the plague,” he says. He leans down, reaching out to grab Kokichi’s cheek between his fingers. He pinches his cheek, smiling as the pout on Kokichi’s face seems to grow. “But I need you to clean this. The roomba’s been laid to rest.”

Kokichi bats Rantaro’s hand away before dramatically falling onto the floor, laying face down with an anguished cry. "Noooooo, I don't wanna clean it!" He cries, sneaking a glance up at Rantar, tears in his eyes and chips in his hair.

Rantaro only frowns, batting the chips out of his hair with a not-so-gentle touch. “If you don’t, I’ll pour all your Panta down the sink.”

Kokichi swats his hand away again with a grimace. He then sits up, and his expression quickly changes to a confident smirk. "Pour it, I don't care." He pauses just for the drama before continuing, his face now serious. "If you really think I'm stupid enough to keep my real soda stash in the fridge you don't know me at all, Rantaro."

“And if you don’t think that I know where you keep your real stash, then you don’t know me at all.” Rantaro pats his head gently before standing up. “Now clean it, okay? I gotta go to class.”

Kokichi groans loudly as Rantaro shuts the door. His eyes turn from the now closed door to the huge mess on the floor, and he groans again. Rantaro's not here to hear him, but he hopes his frustration is powerful enough for him to feel.    
  
After what feels like years but was really only 5 minutes, Kokichi finally has the crumbs all swept up. He's pouring the last of them into the trash when his phone buzzes.

'Ouma, we're going to that place across the street from the 14th building, why don't you come join us? ☆'

The text is from Kaede, which was pretty surprising considering he usually only receives texts from about four people. Kokichi stares at it as he thinks about why she must've sent it - probably something to do with how he and Kaito were tricked the other day.   
  
He finds the idea of Kaede blatantly lying to him questionable and amusing -  _ she didn't even bother to mention who's going, _ he thinks. Not that she has to, if last time is anything to go by, he's assuming Kaito will be there.   
  
He thinks about it more. He is extremely bored, and any excuse to see Kaito is good enough for him, so he quickly texts her his confirmation.

'Great! I'll save a spot for you'

After reading her latest text he tosses his phone onto his bed and starts to get ready.

Not even bothering to brush the remaining chips from his hair, he runs to his bedroom to change. With a sly smile, he grabs the tightest pair of skinny jeans that he owns, giggling to himself as he thinks of the look on Kaito’s face as he walks in. It would definitely make the trip worth his time.

* * *

Kaito usually doesn't mind eating out. He likes the ambience, of people chatting amongst their own friends and family, of eating good food - it's nice. He misses going out with his grandparents to their favorite diner. They were too far for him to easily visit - but his friends certainly weren't. It didn't take much to convince him to go out with Kaede and Maki. They had made up pretty easily after the incident earlier, and he had just gotten out of the library.   
  
Drumming his fingers across the table, he eyes the menu in Kaede and Maki's hands across from him - the former had been insistent on her sitting next to Maki, which was fine, but the way she acted was...strange.   
  
Brushing away the thought, his fingers still from their tapping. "Didn't you say someone else is coming?" He asks. Kaede peeks around the menu. "Shuichi, right? He's almost never late."   
  
Kaede's lips purse together. Looking like she's about the reply, her mouth opens to do so, but she's interrupted as a body quickly slides into the booth with him.

A smug smile sits on Kokichi’s lips as he leans over the table. "Kaede, you didn't tell me  _ he _ was going to be here," He chirps from his spot in the booth, pointing at Kaito despite the fact that he's sitting right next to him. The smile eases into a smirk as his eyes glint dangerously. "Actually, you didn't tell me anything at all! Your text was pretty sketchy, you know."   
  
He doesn't wait for a response or even bother to acknowledge Maki's lethal glare or Kaito's dumbfounded expression as he props his face up with one hand and casually looks over the menu.

Kaito can only gape in surprise at Kokichi - who innocently doesn't return his gaze in favor of the menu, but that damned smile curling at his lips is evidence enough that he's purposely ignoring him. He turns back to Kaede, who seems to be trying her best to hold back a smile.   
  
"You invited him?" Kaito asks, dumbfounded. But then again, Kaede had never confirmed that it was Shuichi who was coming.   
  
_ Shit _ , he thinks, eyes roaming over to Maki, whose face has hardened. If looks could kill, then surely, hers would have pierced Kokichi and he'd be long dead.   
  
Kaede doesn't seem to notice Maki's hellish glare as she speaks. "Yeah. And I never told you who was all going to be here," she says. A waitress appears and sets down waters for everyone, and she thanks them happily before looking back to Kaito. "It's not a problem, right?"   
  
Kaito glances back to Maki, and then to Kokichi, who seems to have noticed Maki's stare. He smiles back, a wide, innocent thing, which only seems to piss her off more.    
  
"Sure," Kaito replies weakly.   
  
The table is awkwardly silent until Maki speaks, her eyes never leaving Kokichi's face. "You have trash in your hair." She says in an equally devastating tone.   
  
Kokichi turns his attention away from his menu to meet her gaze, his smile never leaving his face. "Yup!" As he leans closer to her his smile grows wider. "I made sure to roll around in a dumpster before coming so you wouldn't feel so out of place."   
  
Maki's out of her seat in a second, seemingly ready to end Kokichi's life right here in this filthy diner. Kaede gasps, putting a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to stop her but she pays it no mind, staring down the excited expression on Kokichi's face, much to his amusement.   
  
He watches silently as she grips the back of her seat tightly enough to leave indents. He can feel Kaede and Kaito nervously observing the scene, but Maki never takes her eyes off of him. He doesn’t need to say anything for her to understand that she’s doing exactly what he expected her to. She’s stares him down for a moment longer then, never breaking her brutal eye contact with him, she sits back down.   
  
Watching the entire situation play out is like having his own guts removed from his stomach. Kaito, stiff as a board, shuts his eyes and lets himself take a moment to take a breath.   
  
Once he's satisfied, he blinks them open again, eyes immediately flickering to Maki. Her anger is much more subdued now - but he can still see it rage behind her dark eyes. He wants to tell her to calm down - to stop letting her anger get the best of her, but that wouldn't be the right move.   
  
No, it wouldn't be, because he is angry, but it's only partially directed at Maki. Hadn't Kokichi just promised him the other day to make an attempt at being nice? He snarls, unbidden. That went to shit faster than he thought it could have. Kokichi should be thankful that Maki controlled herself in the end.   
  
Kaede's voice is quiet but urgent as she speaks up. "Kaito," she says, pulling him away from his thoughts. Her eyebrows knit together worriedly, and if Kaito didn't know any better, she's probably blaming herself for what happened.   
  
Kaito sighs, and picks up his glass. "'m fine," he replies, staring inside of his cup.   
  
Kokichi goes back to looking at his menu as if nothing had happened - but he knows that's not true. He can't bring himself to look at Kaito's disappointed face, not after he'd just promised him he'd try harder.   
  
_ If Maki hadn't started this whole thing _ \- he thinks. No, he can't keep making excuses _. _ Kokichi wants to blame this on Maki, he really does, but she was only pointing out a fact.   
  
_ Do this for Kaito, _ he tells himself while putting down his menu and meeting Maki's gaze. He then opens his mouth and says the one thing no one expects him to, nearly shuddering as he forces the words out of his mouth.   
  
"Maki, I'm sorry,” he says, unable to look up at her. “You were just pointing out a fact, I overreacted."   
  
Hearing the apology being grit through Kokichi's teeth, Kaito's eyes shot back up to observe him and Maki. Kokichi looks back down, his signature smile no longer adorning his lips. Instead, it was scrunched up a bit, a small frown that was lost to everyone but his trained eyes. Relief tore through him, and he would smile if only he could.  _ He's trying _ . Even though he had started the conflict, he had turned back and apologized for it. Even the fact that he had clearly not wanted to is fine with him - he's working on it, just slowly.   
  
In the background, Kaede seems surprised. "I've never heard you apologize before, Ouma," she says, smiling at him before leaning over the table a bit in Kaito's direction. "Isn't it great, Kaito?"   
  
"Yeah," he says, unable to stop himself. He catches Kokichi's eye. "It is."   
  
The smile is back on Kokichi's face in an instant.   
  
"I don't know what you're talking about, Kaede. I'm suuuper respectful! I apologize all the time. I apologize so much that people beg me to stop apologizing, and then I apologize for that too."    
  
Maki stays silent while Kokichi energetically spouts more nonsense. He glances at her through the corner of his eye - her glare making him well aware of how mad Kaede and Kaito’s willingness to forgive him must make her.   
  
"Shut up." Maki says suddenly, her hostile tone interrupting Kokichi's rant. Everyone's eyes turn to her shock - it doesn't stop her from continuing.   
  
"I know you're not really sorry. You don't care about anyone but yourself."   
  
Hearing Maki cut Kokichi down felt like Kaito were being shot himself. He knew that it would take a long time for Maki to get along with Kokichi - and maybe he is an idiot for thinking that someday they could even be friends - but right now, her response is out of line. Kokichi tried, but she can't?   
  
"Maki Roll, that's enough," he lowers his voice, as their table had started to gain the attention of others in the restaurant. Maki turns to him, clearly shocked at his response, and just as she opens her mouth to retort, the waitress comes back to take their orders. The entire table seems to sigh with relief at the timing, and Kaito tries to act natural, but finds it difficult as Maki continues to eye him with suspicion and hurt.

After they've all ordered the table goes back into an awkward silence. Kaede starts to talk about her classes in an attempt to save the mood. Kaito only half-listens, but Maki stays silent, focusing all of her attention on a water stain on the table. Kokichi idly plays with a straw wrapper as he listens to them talk about school and notices Maki's lack of interest.

Maki's outburst caught him off guard, but what really surprised him was how Kaito had stood up for him. It felt great to have Kaito choose him when they were supposed to be enemies - maybe he should apologize more often. He won't, but he should.

As Kaito joins the conversation, Kaede seems to relax, and it drones on and on about school. Kokichi starts to get bored - then he looks at Kaito, and gets an idea.

He waits until Kaito's talking - he keeps his full attention on his straw wrapper as he nonchalantly places his hand on Kaito's inner thigh.

Kaito's conversation grinds to a halt with a squeak as Kokichi squeezes him nonchalantly. Kaede looks at him with a worried expression, and when he looks over, Maki does the same. Hurriedly, he continues with what he was saying, hoping that no one would question him as he feels his cheeks begin to warm.

He can't believe how risky his boyfriend is being, rubbing his thigh under the table, right in front of Kaede and Maki. He can't believe it - but at the same time, it sends a strange rush through his body. Will they get caught? He hopes not, for the sake of appearances, and the fact that he will never live it down. He grabs his glass and takes a long drink of water, feeling Ouma's gaze on him as his hand slides right over his crotch. He chokes, lowering the glass with a thud and coughing into his arm.

"Are you alright, Momota?" Kokichi asks innocently, rubbing his hand over the front of Kaito's pants.

Kaito glares in Kokichi's direction, gaze hot and intense as he tries to will down his embarrassingly growing erection. "I'm fine," he bites out.

"Whatever you say." Kokichi responds, removing his hand from Kaito's pants for a brief moment. He turns his attention towards his water, sticking his straw in and swirling the ice around.

Kaito breathes out a slow, shaky sigh as Kokichi's hand slides off of him. He can't bear to look up and meet Kaede's curious gaze - his face red enough as it is, he couldn't face her or Maki properly without potentially getting noticed. He can almost - almost, damn it - feel disappointment ease into his chest as Kokichi busies himself again, but he lets it evaporate as quickly as it came.

"Are you sure you're okay, Kaito?" Kaede pipes up. Kaito tries not to groan at the question, because he really doesn't blame her for asking, but it's hard not to when he's trying to hide a boner that his boyfriend decided to spontaneously give him. He glances up, working hard not to flinch at her gaze, just about to calm her worries when Kokichi sneakily slides his hand back up his thigh. Kaito throws a hand over his mouth just in time to bite back a moan as Kokichi finds the tent in his pants and squeezes.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Kokichi asks suddenly, his playful tone lacking any concern or remorse. Maki scowls directly at him, which only encourages his antics further. Feeling bold enough to flirt with his secret boyfriend in public, he continues. "If you did, I could kiss it better." He says it in a way that Maki and Kaede will take as just another prank of his - but to Kaito will give off other implications.

Batting Kokichi's hand away, Kaito quickly ties his jacket around his waist, avoiding the confused and concerned stares from the two girls as he slides out of his seat. "I'm feeling kind of sick, sorry," he quickly apologizes. He doesn't have to even look to know that Kokichi was grinning. Wiping off some sweat that had begun to bead on his forehead, he adds on a quick 'be right back' before booking it to the restroom.

Kaede calls after Kaito as he leaves but it does nothing to stop him. After a moment of silence, she speaks up in concern. "Should one of us go check on him?"

Kokichi doesn't seemed concerned in the least bit. He can see the challenging look in Maki’s eyes as he opens his mouth to respond to Kaede's question - but she's faster.

"I'll go." She says, her words as sharp as knives. To her annoyance, Kokichi's grin only grows wider.

"How are you going to go to the boys bathroom, Maki?" He asks, practically singing the question. Her face immediately reddens, pulling a giggle from his throat as he scoots out of his seat. "Don't worry, Maki," He starts, turning around to look her in the eyes. "I'll take great care of him." He winks and blows her a kiss before quickly making his way to the bathroom.

Kokichi expects to find Kaito in a bathroom stall - but to his surprise, (and amusement), he's standing by the sinks, too busy splashing cold water on his face to hear Kokichi come in.

He quickly sneaks up behind him before he has the chance to notice. Once he's close enough, he snakes his hands under Kaito's shirt and grabs his sides.

Kaito yelps in surprise - blinking the water out of his eyes, he looks into the mirror and sees Kokichi holding onto him. His hands are  _ cold,  _ much colder than the water running out of the sink. He frowns as Kokichi giggles, shutting off the water and pulling away from him so that he wasn’t touching his bare skin anymore. 

“What the hell!” Kaito says, and then remembers that they’re in public and lowers his voice as he leans in. “You’re going to get us caught.”

Kokichi doesn't stop laughing as he stands on his toes and meets him halfway. "Everyone already expects me to act like this, so that doesn't matter," He states, smiling up at him as he lays his hands on flat on his chest. Despite his efforts, Kaito's face was still flushed - something Kokichi plans to take advantage of.

"Who's going to catch us in here, anyway? We're in the boy's bathroom, you know." He says as he curls his fingers into the fabric of Kaito's shirt, pulling him forward, close enough that he can feel his breath on his face.

Despite his exasperation, Kaito feels his face flush at their close proximity. He gulps, unsure of how to react as he looks back to the closed door, and then down to Kokichi’s lips. He becomes painfully aware of his erection, but shame holds him back as he tries to reason with his boyfriend. 

“Anyone could come in,” he says, unable to look him in the eye.

"If you really want to stop we will," Kokichi starts, his voice serious before easing into a more playful tone, "but isn't the idea of getting caught a little exciting?" He gently cups Kaito's face and looks up at him through messy bangs, making sure he has his full attention before he continues. "You sure seemed excited when we were at the table."

Kaito's breath catches as Kokichi gazes at him. Vaguely, he catches the soft scent of Kokichi's shampoo, a flowery smell that was probably meant for teenage girls but was just so enticing on his boyfriend. "We can be fast," he says, slowly, caught up in the moment.

Kokichi kisses him the second the words leave his mouth. When their lips touch, Kaito wraps his arms around him, pulling him closer and making his heart race.

His chest thumping rapidly, Kaito lets Kokichi take control of the kiss as he idly strokes him over his clothes. Keeping an eye trained on the door, he tries to stay vigilant, even as Kokichi bites on his lip impatiently.

Kokichi whines into the kiss and returns the favor, bringing one of his hands to the front of Kaito's jeans. 

He briefly pulls away from the kiss, his eyes scanning Kaito's face and pulling his attention away from the door. When their eyes meet, Kaito's face is flushed and his eyes are half lidded. In a second that changes to a look of concern and Kokichi answers the question he hasn't even asked yet.

"N-nothing's wrong, I just wanted you to look at me instead of at that stupid door."

Seeing the flushed pout on Kokichi's face, Kaito takes one last glance at the door - still shut - before fully training his eyes on his boyfriend. 

He leans in to kiss his cheek. "Sorry," he mumbles. Bending down further, he drags his lips to his neck. "Y'know," he starts, softly biting his neck, earning a soft gasp from Kokichi. His lips quirk into a smile. "I'm really proud of you for apologizing to Maki."

"Uuuugh, why do you always bring her up while we're kissing?!" Kokichi whines, moving closer to Kaito despite his complaints. He buries his face in his chest, his voice barely audible as he whispers, "You're so stupid."

Kaito laughs as Kokichi huddles up to him. He runs his fingers through his unruly hair, combing out crumbs without giving them a single thought. "Sorry," he says, before kissing the top of his head. "I couldn't help it."

Reluctantly, Kokichi pulls away from Kaito's embrace to hop up onto the bathroom counter. He spreads his legs and pulls Kaito towards him by the front of his shirt.

"What are you waiting for? We don't have all day."

Being pulled forward abruptly, Kaito crashes into Kokichi, not at all gentle - however, he doesn't seem to mind, expertly wrapping his legs around his waist. Like this, he can feel just how hard Kokichi actually is, something that makes him chuckle nervously. His heart feels as if it were pounding out of his chest, the anxiety of getting caught by someone nearly overwhelming him, but when Kokichi looks at him with his sly, seductive smirk, he can't find the energy to stop.

When Kaito resumes their kiss, Kokichi impatiently drags him closer with his legs and starts to grind against him. It's difficult and uncomfortable from his position, but right now he couldn't care less. Kaito doesn't seem to care either as he eagerly meets Kokichi's thrusts, knocking his back into the sink and causing the faucet to turn on.

Kokichi, too busy sticking his tongue down Kaito's throat, barely even registers it. "It's okay, don't stop." He practically groans into Kaito's mouth, unwilling to stop over a little water.

The shrill sound of the tap nearly drowns out Kokichi's voice as he pulls back, gasping. Kaito ceases his motions, earning a muffled whine from Kokichi. Ignoring the faucet, he deftly unzips Kokichi's pants.

Kokichi bites his lip and vigilantly glances at the door as Kaito unzips him. As exciting as the situation is, he can't help being alert. Just as he's about to complain that Kaito's taking too long, he grabs him through his underwear, catching him off guard and forcing him to bite back a moan.

Palming him from under the fold of his jeans, Kaito can feel Kokichi's growing excitement as his breathing stutters in his throat. He presses his forehead against his, looking straight into his eyes intently.

Kaito's adoring gaze makes Kokichi squeeze his eyes shut in embarrassment - he wasn't expecting this amount of intimacy during a quick fuck in a public bathroom.

Breathing out a laugh at his reaction, Kaito decides to speed things up - he slides his hand under the fold of his underwear and curls his fist around the length of his cock, swirling his thumb lightly on the head, precum slickening his movements as he leans in to kiss him.

"K-Kaito-" Kokichi can feel himself shaking as he moans into the kiss, his mind too hazy with arousal to worry about who might hear him. Keeping his eyes shut, he angles his hips to meet Kaito's touch.

The obscene noise Kaito's hand makes as it moves over Kokichi's length seems to echo throughout the bathroom, but it's nothing compared to the beating of his own heart. Kokichi squeezes his eyes shut even tighter as his breath comes out in pants, he's seconds away from reaching his release.

Then, he hears door begin to open. Kaito's off of him in an instant - Kokichi scrambles off of the counter so quickly that he falls to the floor, face first, his body landing in a puddle that he desperately hopes is water.

A stranger with blood running down his face stills at the scene, eyes widening only a fraction before he relaxes, waving a hand up at them apologetically

"Sorry to bother you. My nose started bleeding after I was hit by a bicyclist - I just need to grab some tissues and I'll be out of your way." He walks past them to the paper towels. The dispenser seems to take ages to work, and Kaito tries to act as nonchalant as he can while his boner withers away, with his boyfriend remaining almost comically face down on the floor. The man smiles at him all the while, leaving Kaito feeling the most uncomfortable he's ever been before he gets the tissues that he had needed and leaves with a wave and dry laugh.

As soon as the door clicks shut, he's kneeling down, picking Kokichi off of the dirty bathroom floor. "Shit," he curses, helping his boyfriend up. "Are you okay?"

"Nooooo," Kokichi groans, his face full of regret and disgust as he stands, "I'm pretty sure I died." He looks at himself in the mirror and cringes at his reflection - he's covered in mysterious liquid stains and dirt from the floor - he looks like shit.

He turns towards his boyfriend and looks at him, his face completely serious as he speaks, "Kaito, I think my dick bone is broken."

Trying not to wince, Kaito ignores that comment as he takes in his appearance. "Maybe you should go home and shower?"

Kokichi tries not to laugh at Kaito's reaction to his teasing. He doesn't have the energy to pretend to cry, so he, for once, gives him an honest reply. "That would be too suspicious, and we haven't even eaten yet. Let's just lie about what happened, I already thought of a good one."

Kaito tries not to make a face as he thinks about sitting next to him like this. He sighs, relenting. "Fine. Let's go back." He holds out his hand.

Giggling at his expression, Kokichi takes his hand. "You're disgusted by me but you still want to hold my hand?" he starts, smiling up at him, "That's pretty cute."

Kaito's face flushes. He turns his face away quickly. "Shut up. Let's just go."

"Just go along with what I say." Kokichi quickly whispers to Kaito as they disconnect their hands and exit the bathroom. 

When they're in view of the table, the reactions are immediate - Kaede gasps and Maki looks them up and down, cringing in disgust. Before either of them can ask any questions, Kokichi starts talking.

"Sorry we took so long! When I made it to the bathroom Momota was throwing his guts up and, being the selfless person that I am, I ran to his rescue. But, tragically, I slipped on a puddle by the bathroom sink."

He casually slips back into his seat after his speech. "So be nice about my appearance, I'm just as much of a victim as he is."

Having slid into his seat right before Kokichi had begun to spin a lie for them, Kaito avoids the gazes of both girls as he leans back against the plush seat. The lie itself is horrible - he knows that Maki and Kaede wouldn't fully believe the story, and he hated having to try and help to sell it, but there's nothing else he can do as Kaede reaches over the table. 

Her hand stops halfway, apprehensive in its pursuit. Carefully, her lips fall open. "You're okay," she says, some worry coloring her usually bright voice - but it's guarded as well, suspicious of Kokichi's words. "Right?"

Swallowing a lump that forms in his throat, he takes a moment before meeting her eyes and forcing himself to smile. "I just ate something weird earlier! I'm fine now."

As Kokichi glances between the two of them and discretely pays attention to their conversation, he can't help but feel a little, just a little, responsible.

He knows how much Kaito hates lying to his friends - but the fact that he's willing to do it for him brings him a sick sense of happiness that burns in his chest. Peering over, he can see how it hurts him, how every lie that spills from his mouth for him piles on top of eachother, threatening to topple over; all he can do is try and keep it from falling.

Just as he finds himself getting lost in his thoughts, he’s snapped out of them by the familiar feeling of Kaito’s fingers interlacing into his own. Looking up, he sees Kaito looking away, resting his chin on his palm, but he squeezes his hand nonetheless, and for a moment, his guilt is forgotten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was technically finished like 3 weeks ago but we never edited it oops
> 
> Sorry we keep writing public shit...this is it....I sw

**Author's Note:**

> If you noticed, congratulations! This fic was written entirely by rp.
> 
> I am so sorry
> 
> Please enjoy this edit of Kaito wearing the [Tweety Bird Shirt](https://twitter.com/lynxhime/status/1068708590431612929)


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